Relationships

Close relationships to friends, partners and family are deeply important in our lives. At times, though, these relationships can be difficult and a great source of stress, frustration, and even heartache.

Relationship difficulties come in many forms. It can be difficult to find a good romantic relationship, causing worry that the right person can't be found and subsequent loneliness. Others may fall in love easily, but worry because these relationships never seem to work out — perhaps through losing interest or getting hurt by rejection. Some people get stuck in a relationship that doesn’t work very well, but without an idea of how to fix or end the relationship. Trouble can emerge in relationships with friends and family. Sometimes it can feel that families are overly involved and controlling, and we can feel at a loss as to how to change the situation. At other times, we can feel estranged from family members and wish we knew how to create a closer relationship. At other times, a relationship may have been ended by a partner without an understanding of how and why it happened.

Therapy focused on talking through these difficulties can be very helpful for relationship problems. There are often aspects of the relationship that are hard to see without talking about it with an objective person who can help provide prospective and insight. A therapist can help you to figure out what you want in relationships and how to make it possible. Couples therapy is also very helpful when two people want to work with a therapist on their relationship. The therapist can help improve their communication with each other, learn to understand each others' perspective, and work through differences of opinion to reach mutually agreeable solutions. Couples treatment can be helpful during times of heightened stress, before marriage and/or after respect or love has been challenged by things such as extramarital affairs. More information on couples therapy at the Clinic is available on our Couples Therapy page.