Feel more connected, seen, and understood.
Therapy for Relationships | In Ann Arbor and Online throughout Michigan
Does it feel like you can’t have the types of relationships you crave?
It seems like people are enjoying being together all around you. You see friends laughing together at a restaurant. You scroll past happy couples and seemingly perfect family photos on social media. You wonder how they all do it, and whether these connections are genuine – because in your own life, it feels so hard to get that kind of ease and closeness.
Relationships are so important to how you feel and thrive in your daily life, and yet the genuine comfort and healthy communication that a close relationship needs is anything but easy.
You might be in a serious relationship or marriage but feel that you can’t express yourself without it becoming an argument. You may have a lot of people that you spend time with, but you worry that you have to keep things light and easy, or they might not stick around. You may just shut down when you’re feeling stressed, and keep it all to yourself. Or you could feel really isolated and lonely, and not know how to find people to connect with – didn’t making friends used to be easier?
Whether you’re feeling lonely and unseen, or your relationships are a source of stress and arguments, the impact can rattle your internal world. You fear that you can’t open up to other people in a genuine way. It seems like nothing you say comes out the way you want – whether you snap irritably at someone and then feel ashamed, or you stammer your way through an interaction and then feel embarrassed. You don’t feel able to let go enough to enjoy the fun times, or comfortable enough to open up during the tough times.
How therapy can help
Closer connections are possible.
Imagine feeling heated in an argument, but then having pride in how you handled it afterwards.
Envision being in your darkest mood, and being able to open up to others and lean on their support.
Picture yourself connecting with friends or your partner while feeling happy and relaxed– not second-guessing everything, putting on an act, or stewing about something in your head.
These are not pipe dreams, but things that you can achieve with the right tools and support.
This could include tools for:
managing intense feelings in your interactions
feeling less controlled by your inner critic
assessing what is most important to you and how to feel more effective in getting that from your interactions
It is important to me for you to walk away with clear ideas of things you can apply to your everyday interactions. I also understand the many things that make relationships hard. This could include things from your past, such as a difficult childhood or a history of trauma. It could also simply feel like your personality and communication has always been a particular way, and trying to do things differently just doesn’t feel possible.
In addition to learning new tools, we will also work together to better understand these types of challenges that make relationships difficult, and how to work alongside these challenges to still get you more of the connections you want.
Therapy for relationships can help you…
Increase understanding of your past relationship challenges and patterns
Build skills for communicating your thoughts and feelings effectively
Feel closer to others
Navigate tricky dynamics within family or other long-term relationships to prioritize your own wellbeing
Gain self confidence and clarity in social situations
Frequently asked questions about relationship therapy
FAQs
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No. Therapy for relationships refers to getting support on improving any type of interpersonal connections that are important to you. This might mean romantic relationships, friendships, workplace interactions, or family.
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I do not work with couples at this time. Individual therapy is a great option for going in-depth on understanding yourself and how you function in relationships. At times, some people will choose to pursue individual therapy at the same time that they are also seeing a couples or family therapist. While couples therapy will focus on the dynamics directly between you and a partner, individual therapy can be a space for working on challenges that frequently come up for you which may be creating barriers in your relationships (such as anger, difficulties with trust or closeness, or anxiety). Individual therapy is also a great place to work on new tools or ideas for improving your relationships because we can dedicate the space fully to your personal needs and concerns.
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Absolutely. We can work together to better understand what has gotten in the way of close relationships in the past and how you can work toward getting what you need more in the future.
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I use a variety of modalities in therapy for relationships, with emphasis on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). DBT offers a variety of tools for emotion regulation and communicating your needs effectively. ACT provides a helpful framework for identifying and taking actions that feel important to you at a core level, even when you are encountering conflicting thoughts and feelings that feel difficult to manage. Learn more about my style.