Relationships Are Complicated, Requiring Ongoing Attention And Care

Despite being an essential aspect of our lives, successful relationships are often difficult to maintain. 

In this day and age, in particular, we face unique barriers in dating. Online dating has opened up the possibilities of who we can connect with, but it has also contributed to an unsatisfied mindset in which we are waiting for the “perfect” partner to come around. Instead of working to overcome differences, we trick ourselves into believing that someone who matches all of our criteria will come along if we just keep swiping and scrolling. 

Most of my clients find online dating to be frustrating, discouraging, and bad for their self-esteem. Even when they are open to meeting and getting to know new people, they end up feeling self-conscious because they compare their looks, job, and status to what they see on social media. They are tired of going on dates with people who misrepresent their intentions, don’t make time for them, or leave them hanging. 

Finding Someone Is Just The Beginning

Even when we manage to find a connection that works, it is not as if any of us are given a handbook for how to nurture a loving relationship. Many of us lacked healthy relationship models growing up, causing us to engage in the same destructive cycles that we witnessed because we don’t know anything else. Plus, the more we add to our lives as individuals—whether we are working longer hours, cultivating our social lives, or building a family—the more barriers get in the way of sustaining a close, attuned relationship with our significant others.

We face so many relational struggles as human beings—especially when it comes to properly expressing thoughts and feelings openly and honestly. By working with a trained, experienced therapist in counseling, we can learn effective communication, boundary-setting, and emotional identification skills that we can apply to all of our relationships. 

At Psych Fitness, Counseling Is Customized To Your Unique Relationship Concerns

I aim to make relationship counseling available to anyone who seems to be coming up against unhealthy, ineffective relationship dynamics, whether you’re single, dating, or partnered. That said, relationship counseling is individual; if you’re searching for couples therapy, I can provide you with referrals to clinicians who specialize in working with couples. 

Collaborating together, we can normalize and validate your dating and relationship experiences as you develop new strategies for connecting with others.

What To Expect

A significant aspect of relationship therapy is identifying the root cause(s) of your struggles. As we work our way backward to the foundational experiences and patterns underlying your understanding of relationships, you can learn how to effectively navigate interpersonal dynamics and pave a healthier, more successful path forward. 

Depending on your primary goals for therapy, I am likely to offer you new insights and perspectives that will allow you to move forward with confidence. Whether you’re in search of techniques for calming the nervous system before a big date, communication skills that will help you to be heard, or clarity about if you want to continue your relationship, my job is to support you through your unique therapeutic process. 

Relationships are tough, so why not establish a supportive relationship with a therapist who can model healthy communication and emotional skills? I am confident that as you learn more about yourself as an individual in the safe space of counseling, you will develop affirming, life-changing insights that can strengthen all of your relationships.

Common Concerns About Individual Therapy For Relationships…

Why am I having such a hard time meeting someone?

If you’re currently single, it’s likely that online dating feels like your only option for meeting new people. But online dating is hard! There is a lot of pressure to stand out among the sea of endless faces, and even if there is a connection online, it doesn’t always translate when you meet in person. This does not mean that you are doing anything wrong.

Counseling is an opportunity to get clear about what you are looking for in a partner and what you want out of a relationship. As you feel supported to be your most authentic self throughout the therapeutic process, you will develop the confidence you need to identify and pursue the qualities you are looking for in a partner. 

Why can’t I just get along with my significant other?

It’s normal to experience roadblocks and setbacks in every relationship—none of us are immune to conflict. However, my job as a relationship therapist is to help you understand where your conflict comes from, what your role is in it, and how to successfully navigate that conflict so that both of you get your needs met.

How do I get over a breakup and when will I be ready to date again?

Breakups can be traumatic and deeply wounding. I’ve been through my fair share of heartbreak myself, and I’ve supported countless clients through their own breakups in counseling. I know you are hurt, frustrated, and confused. 

That said, as painful as they are, breakups can also be amazing opportunities for growth. I will support you in therapy as you heal old wounds, develop a new understanding of your relationship(s), and strategize about how to avoid unhealthy patterns and pitfalls in the future.

Strengthen The Connection With Yourself, Get What You Need From Others

If you are unsatisfied with your relationship and dating life, or if you’ve recently gone through a breakup, counseling can help you clarify what you want out of a partner and how to get your needs met. For more information about how I can help or to schedule a session, contact me.