Relationships
One of the most difficult things we do as humans is attempting to be in relationship with other people. Humans are social animals and we have a deep need and desire to connect with others – whether it is family members, coworkers, friends or romantic involvements.
But relationships are complicated and none of us is born knowing automatically how to successfully navigate and negotiate the many different nuances and challenges that can be found when attempting to make an emotional and meaningful connection with others.
We each bring a distinct history to our relationships. Past experiences in our family teach us about how social interactions might be played out as we become adults; relationships that we have as young adults and as we get older also teach us about trusting others and about the many mistakes we can make by simply not knowing ourselves very well or knowing how to communicate clearly what our needs, wants and desires are for the relationship. This page is electronically copyright protected – do not copy – Copyright © Associated Counsellors & Psychologists Sydney PTY LTD
Relationships require that we take a risk and trust the other person in order to receive a level of trust back and start the process of relating to each other. Trust is not an easy thing to just automatically offer to another person. Many of us learn that trusting others can be emotionally dangerous and is to be avoided.
In fact, we live in a society that discourages trusting others and revealing ourselves to others for fear that what we reveal might be used against us to injure us emotionally or otherwise. But it exactly this fear and self defense that prevents us from making those close emotional connections and relationship commitments.
Trust is the foundation of any relationship, and if you are struggling to make commitments to relationships, have difficulty communicating what you want or understanding what the other person is trying to communicate to you or simply find yourself repeatedly feeling like you are failing in your abilities to relate to others, then you might benefit from talking to a counsellor, psychiatrist or therapist. This page is electronically copyright protected – do not copy – Copyright © Associated Counsellors & Psychologists Sydney PTY LTD
Relationship counselling is not limited to talking about romantic relationships, although that certainly can be an aspect of relationships that is important to address for some individuals. Relationship counselling encompasses every type of relationship that is possible in the human experience. For example:
• Parents who are having difficulty with a child who has a temperament that is vastly and substantially different from their own can benefit from talking to a counsellor or psychologist who can offer them support and suggestions on how to more closely connect with their child.
• Business owners who have having challenges with employees who are smart and good at their jobs, but have poor communication skills can work with a counsellor to understand personality types, improve communication skills and learn negotiation skills that will benefit everyone in their company.
• Couples who are feeling emotional distance and want to improve their level of emotional and sexual intimacy can benefit from talking to and working with a counselor or psychologist, who may invite them to explore aspects of themselves that they hold back from each other, increasing trust and emotional connection.
• Individuals who feel lonely and believe they have failed at relationships repeatedly and want to improve their social skills and abilities so that they increase their chances of finding a fulfilling and satisfying romantic relationship in the future. Here psychotherapy, a sub-type of therapy focused on lasting personality change, can be of benefit.
These are just a few examples of the ways in which counselling or psychotherapy can be helpful in understanding the importance of relationships and learning new ways to relate to others.
For some of us, counselling therapy involves coming to acceptance about parts of ourselves that we hide from others and finding a way to improve our sense of self esteem so that we no longer feel the need to mask our true self. Gaining confidence in who we are can go a long way to not only self acceptance, but also in becoming more clear about what we want from a relationship and what we are willing to risk of ourselves in order to have that relationship. These issues can be sexual in nature, about beliefs and values or any other myriad of other aspects of our self that we fear will not be accepted by others, either because we learned that lesson as a child or later in life as an adult.
Counsellors, Psychologists & Psychotherapists are specifically trained in relationships and helping individuals gain the most benefit from relating to others in a healthy and confident manner. Counsellors and psychological therapists can help not only with improving self esteem, but they can also assist in learning and improving communication skills, learning negotiation skills, developing deeper and more emotionally intimate relationships, assist in navigating difficult sexual issues and provide family counselling during difficult periods. These difficult periods where a relationship oriented counsellor can be of benefit can include assistance with separation and divorce. This page is electronically copyright protected – do not copy – Copyright © Associated Counsellors & Psychologists Sydney PTY LTD
If you feel you can benefit from the assistance that a counsellor or psychologist can provide and would like more information or would like to book a consultation with a qualified therapist please contact:
Associated Counsellors & Psychologists Sydney
