Relationship Counseling
No matter who is involved, relationships are difficult. Family members, friends, spouses, or coworkers can all produce challenging situations, and we often need help to navigate these interactions in order to emerge with a successful and healthy relationship.
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Communication: Time of day, tone of voice, mood, facial expression, and even hunger can all have an affect on how a person communicates. Effective communication is both a science and an art, and it takes patience and practice to master it. Communication is also a highly personalized interaction, so once you have mastered it with one person, you may have to master it again with the next. Once you have the skills for effective communication however, miscommunications should begin to affect your life less and less.
Conflict: There are many different ways that people deal with conflict. Some are assertive, some aggressive, some collaborative, and some
passive or avoidant. People also differ in terms of what kind of
resolution they seek: closure, progress, feeling heard or understood,
or to maintain a relationship. The type of conflicts and resolutions
you may encounter within any relationship are complicated and varied. Navigating these interactions also require an open mind, patience, and rehearsal.
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Trust: Trust can be defined as the act of placing confidence in
something or someone. If you have ever been lied to, betrayed, or disappointed, trust may not be something that comes naturally.
Childhood and adolescent experiences shape much of the way
we trust others, as well as later life events such as trauma, grief,
or infidelity. Difficulty trusting others may result in a lack
of intimacy or friendships, dramatic/highly charged relationships,
racing thoughts and anxiety, terror during physical intimacy, and
paranoid thinking. Thankfully, difficulties in establishing and developing
trusting relationships can be improved with exploration, insight,
and learning how to use the right tools to build fruitful and healthy relationships.