Relationship issues: navigating challenges, fostering connection.
Psychotherapy for relationship difficulties in the Ottawa area and across Ontario
You deserve the connection you deeply crave!
Imagine a life where you can show up fully, as yourself, and have deep intimate relationships with others.
That life is waiting for you…
We are wired for connection - to survive and thrive.
When we are able to connect, and establish safety and trust, relationships can provide us with a sense of belonging and a haven from the storms of life, allowing us to better cope with the ups and downs of our existence.
Yet, at times, navigating relationships, be it romantic, familial or platonic, can feel like walking into a landmine. Perhaps you:
Are attracting people who you know aren’t good for you and ignore red flags.
Put other peoples needs above your own, and feel “selfish” for standing up for yourself
Attempt to control, change or influence other people’s behaviours in the hope of getting your needs met
Alter yourself in different ways in order to be what you assume others want you to be
Struggle to trust others instead of giving them the benefit of the doubt
Crave the approval and affection of others, and when you don’t get it you blame or shame yourself
Tie your relationship status to your self-worth rather than feel okay just as you are
You’re only as needy as your unmet needs.
- John Bowlby
from conflict to connection: your path to fulfilling relationships
How therapy for relationship issues works
Heal Your Heart, Open Your Heart - Choose Connection.
One of the deepest acts of love is committing to heal your heart; to openly and honestly work through what disrupts your capacity to welcome love in and allow yourself to be vulnerable and authentic in the presence of an other.
Chances are, the barriers you have built up against love have come by you honestly, as a means to protect yourself against heartbreak, rejection, and shame. Somehow, over time, it felt more comfortable to be closed off instead of risk the potential of hurt. Perhaps, you settle for second best, are in one sided relationships, avoid getting too close, or effort to try and fix others in order to get your needs met. Whatever the case may be, relationships feel fraught, exhausting and confusing.
Therapy can assist you to experience a greater sense of ease when it comes to relationships. You can heal your heart by allowing yourself to be honest with how you have kept love away. Therapy for relationship difficulties is not about attempting to decipher others intentions, or orchestrate ways of being to elicit change in another. Healthy relationships are not built on changing or convincing others to love and connect with us. Instead, you can release the need to protect yourself, control the people around you, or deprive yourself and your needs when you can embrace what is in your control.
In therapy, you can allow yourself the space necessary to commit to choosing to change what is within your capacity. When you acknowledge that what is in your control is how you relate to yourself and others, the quality of your relationships can change. The way you show up for yourself and others, and who you allow into your world will be more heartfelt. You can learn to establish a stronger sense of self where you accept yourself fully, and feel deserving of love (from yourself and others), as well as allow yourself to be heard, seen and vulnerable in relationships.
Together, we will bring awareness to how you react to yourself and others, especially within emotionally charged situations. We will explore what lies underneath your reactivity and identify your vulnerabilities, fears and unmet needs. With curiosity and compassion, we will bring awareness to, and process, past unmet relationship needs that you now long for within your current relationships. By doing so, we will also gain clarity on what it is you are truly wanting and needing in your relationships with others.
When we connect to ourselves and are able to identify and communicate our needs to others, relationships can be healing - therapy can help!
Therapy for relationship issues can help you…
Have close relationships and feel supported
Navigate conflict more effectively
Rebuild your capacity to trust
Establish and maintain healthy boundaries
Be better able to connect to and verbalize your needs
Establish realistic expectations in relationships
Break unhealthy relationship patterns
Frequently asked questions about therapy for relationship issues
FAQs
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Individual therapy provides a space to explore personal perspectives, improve self-awarness and develop ways of relating that contributes to healthier relationships. Individual therapy can be effective in addressing relationship difficulties by helping individuals explore their own emotions, behaviours, and communication patterns which can contribute to improved dynamics within the relationship. Learn more.
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Individual therapy explores one’s internal world and addresses challenge an individual faces in the context of relationships. In contrast, couples therapy delves into the dynamics between partners, how they interact and contribute to the relationship challenges. Learn more.
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Absolutely! Individual therapy can provide you with insight to establish and maintain healthy boundaries in relationships. Therapy can assist you in identifying and communicating your needs, and support you to better establish interdependence and secure functioning in various relationships. Learn more.