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Specializations - Relationship Concerns
People commonly seek psychotherapy to learn how to have more satisfying relationships. This is understandable because much of mature mental health is determined by one’s ability to form and sustain healthy relationships. In working with clients, I strive to help them develop better relationships with themselves and with others. Additionally, clients may work to improve their ability to establish new relationships in their personal and professional life.
One benefit of psychotherapy can be an increased awareness of how past relationships influence current ones. In therapy we seek to identify a individual’s basic needs and to determine how well they were met in prior relationships. The extent to which our needs were met in early relationships often influences our expectations in new relationships. As clients develop a clear awareness of their emotional needs, they increase the likelihood that their needs will be met in current relationships.
For better or for worse, frustration, hurt, and loss are a natural part of human interaction. In my experience, it is because these difficulties occur in relationships, that they are best healed in relationships. Healing can occur as the client develops a relationship with their therapist. The safety of the therapy relationship allows many clients to experience and express a wider range of feelings. Learning to identify and express their feelings can increase one’s awareness of their emotions in the moment. Ultimately, knowing one’s feelings in the moment increases the quality of relationships.
Many people find group therapy especially valuable in learning about relationships. Additional information about this powerful type of therapy is found in the section on Group Therapy.