Interpersonal Relationships

As humans, our lives revolve around relationships with others. We rely on these relationships for a sense of belonging, for care and for help in times of need. Relationships are at the center of most aspects of our life: our family, our work, and our social engagement. However, relationships can be difficult to navigate. Differences in personality, history and emotion can make relational connection challenging.

Many people struggle with the following questions:

Why is it difficult to get along with coworkers and to be part of a team?
Why do I let others control me?
Why do I feel constantly rejected by others?
Why do I always end up fighting with the people with whom I’m closest?
How do I know I can trust my friendships or my partner?
Why do I keep picking the same type of partner?
Why can’t I find a partner who I can accept and who accepts me?
How can I maintain my independence in my relationship?

Or maybe there are patterns of communication that are interfering with relational health. Have others given you feedback that you are being too direct? Too aggressive? Too indirect or passive? Maybe you struggle with listening to others and really understanding what they are saying. Or maybe you have experienced conflict with someone and are not sure what you did or did not do that may have affected how things unfolded. There are a number of reasons why communication with others can be complicated and when it goes awry, it can be upsetting, lead to misunderstandings, and may be an obstacle to building meaningful, satisfying relationships.

Therapy can help you better understand yourself, your relational patterns, your needs and your communication style. In therapy, you learn skills that can help you engage with others in more productive and effective ways. This can help you to feel more confident in your interactions with others and ultimately, can be a resource in creating and maintaining meaningful and lasting relationships.

Therapy can also help you manage the effects of a relationship breakup, divorce or a relationship betrayal. This pain doesn’t always simply dissipate with time. Often the pain of a relationship breakup or the end of a significant work relationship is compounded by prior experiences of emotional or physical abandonment, betrayal, emotional unavailability, or insecure relationships. Whether your relationship ended recently or many years ago, in therapy, you can work on resolving the impact this event has on how you feel about yourself and how you relate to others.