Inevitably, there is difficulty in our relationships, whether it be with family, friends, co-workers, or romantic partners. Often, issues in our relationships arise when our typical ways of responding to conflict are unhealthy and don’t lead to resolutions. These ways of responding to others are influenced by many factors: personality, temperament, perceived level of trust and safety, past experiences, and other factors. Often the people to whom we feel closest are the ones we find ourselves in conflict with the most. This may be due to fears of losing the relationship or losing our autonomy. In the moment we might act in ways that are meant to protect the relationship or ourselves but ultimately have negative long-term consequences.
Relationship Issues
At Chrysalis we believe that we are inherently social as human beings, and much of our health and well-being is founded on our relational functioning. As such, an understanding of our prototypical ways of relating to others is essential in therapy for anyone presenting with concerns or difficulties. At times, working individually with a therapist is most helpful for addressing problematic relational dynamics, but at other times couples, family, and group psychotherapy are effective approaches independently or as an adjunct to the individual treatment. We will seek to understand the nature of your relationships in your life currently and historically. In addition to the exploration of these relationships, we will consider the way in which you experience the therapy relationship as an avenue to greater understanding of yourself and relationship patterns.