On the couch: What happens in couples counselling

CHRIS O'Dowd and Rosamund Pike star as a time-crunched couple who are undergoing relationship therapy in a new mini-series, State of the Union. They meet up every week in a London pub, have a drink, and then hurry to the office of their counsellor. Although we never see what happens when they meet their therapist, the sessions have a deep impact on their relationship.

And, indeed, therapy has been shown to help a troubled relationship according to research published in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy in 2011 - it found that that couple therapy positively impacts 70% of couples receiving treatment.