But that only works if both parties want to communicate honestly.

I went into couples counseling with my partner because I was concerned about our ability to talk about our disagreements.

I thought that we came out of couples counseling much stronger as a couple and better able to talk about the tough stuff.

Which was totally an illusion since Mark never mentioned during our sessions that he was in love with somebody else and had been texting with and talking to and having phone sex with her for over a decade.