What causes problems in relationships? What makes people seek relationship counseling? Among the possible contributing factors are:
A codependent relationship is often described as one in which one person relies on the other person to meet his or her emotional and self-esteem needs. Another form of a codependent relationship is one in which one partner enables the other to continue addictive or irresponsible behavior.
Symptoms of codependency include low self-esteem, people-pleasing behaviors, boundaries between the parties that are too weak or too strong, investing so much in caretaking that the person loses his or her sense of self, one person exerting too much control over the other, a lack of or dishonest communication, the need to be in a relationship even if it is abusive, problems with closeness and openness, and feelings of shame, anger, depression and hopelessness. And, of course, the denial that prevents people from seeking the relationship therapy they need.
What causes discord in marriages and families? In addition to the causes listed above, couples may get into trouble due to infidelity and betrayal trauma, addiction issues (including pornography, drug and alcohol addiction), sexual dysfunction and the stresses that come from dealing with the chronic illness of one partner. Families may need help with trying to manage parent/child conflicts, a child’s behavior problems, caring for elderly parents as well as children, and the impacts of one person’s mental health issues on everyone else.
While we often refer to marriage counseling or couples’ therapy, please understand that this type of therapy is not limited to families or married couples. People in any kind of close, long-term relationship, including friendship, may benefit from this type of counseling. If you wish to improve any type of troubled relationship, then couples’ therapy may be the perfect solution.
Counseling begins with the therapist meeting and getting to know all the interested parties and their thoughts about the problem(s) that brought them to counseling. The therapist discusses rules, goals and the part each will play during therapy sessions. Unlike individual counseling that focuses on a single person, family and marriage counseling examines the way each person’s behavior affects the other(s).
At Aspen Valley Wellness, we offer a wide range of therapies to help repair ailing relationships. In addition to family talk therapy and traditional treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), we offer a variety of nontraditional therapies that have proven effective in relationship counseling. These include expressive arts therapy, experiential activities, sand tray therapy, games and more. One of our trained therapists meets with you to recommend one or more interventions intended to help create lasting change in your most important relationships.
