Human beings are social creatures. We have been since we lived in caves and sought the company of other human beings. Our relationships range, from intimate to familial to social to occupational, but all of our relationships matter. One of the main reasons many people come to therapy has to do with a relationship of one kind or another.
- Primary partnerships, marital relationships, or other sexual relationships
- Parent-child relationships while children are still young, adult parent-adult child relationships, or co-parenting concerns
- Colleague or work relationships
- Friendships, community, or social connections
People sometimes come to therapy because they are feeling frustrated with how they are relating to others. Sometimes they cite problems with dating successfully, or communication problems in their marriage or partnership. Others struggle with difficult co-workers, feeling invisible, or being undervalued at work. Still others are trying to co-parent with a partner, facing differences in value systems and parenting beliefs. Any of these struggles can cause disruptions in relationships with people we care about. Those kinds of disruptions can be hard to manage, and leak into many aspects of our lives. Therapy can be a place to process how your relationships are working–or not working–and what changes you have the power to make so things can get better.
Stacy T. Watnick, Ph.D. 