Couples Counseling Archives - Page 2 of 12

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Lover’s Spats: How Much Fighting Is Normal?

If you have ever been in a relationship before, then you know that fighting is a normal part of it. You’ll never agree on everything 100% of the time, so you are bound to argue, disagree, and fight every now and then.

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Couples Counseling

What Does Toxic Codependency Look Like?

While we often find toxic codependent situations in romantic relationships, they can apply to familial or platonic friendships as well.

If you have never heard about toxic dependency, we’ll cover the very basics of what this is first.

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Couples Counseling

Opening the Line of Communication: 5 Ways to Improve a Silent Partnership

You’ve likely heard how important communication is in a relationship by now. However, you are not alone if you don’t know how to do that. Truthfully, it’s not uncommon for many couples to fall into a rut of being unable to communicate.

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Couples Counseling

Dos & Don’ts of Communicating with an Avoidant Partner

Communication styles are an interesting topic to discuss. It’s not uncommon to find ourselves partnered with someone with the complete opposite communication style.

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Couples Counseling

How to Enjoy the Holidays as an Interfaith Couple

Our differences aren’t often celebrated. While we should marvel at a world with such diverse walks of life, it often divides us as a society. If you have a partner from a different ethnic or religious background, you see this value and probably celebrate the diversity.

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Couples Counseling

6 Communication Tips for Couples

Couples can face many challenges in their relationships. While there may be more specific reasons for strife, most people struggle with communicating with their partner.

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Couples Counseling

ADHD and Its Effect on Relationships

No relationship is perfect. It takes effort from both partners to make their relationship work. It’s a balancing act of giving and taking, effective communication, understanding, trust, honesty, and so much more.

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Couples Counseling

How to Set Healthy Boundaries in Your Relationship

Boundaries are important in all facets of life and all relationships. Whether it is with family, friends, coworkers, or a romantic partner—boundaries are crucial for a healthy relationship. Most people know how important boundaries are; however, they are more complex to set, especially when it comes to romantic relationships.

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Couples Counseling

Giving Yourself Permission to be Intimate

It’s 2023, and while it seems like the world has become so much more progressive and accepting, there still do exist many “social norms” that place certain subject matters into a taboo constraint. As women, that can be even tighter.

Every relationship is different. No two couples will interact with each other in the same ways. Or share the same common interests. It's what makes life so wonderful at times—knowing how different we all are from one another. However, sometimes, these differences don't work out exactly in our favor. We can generally say most people are in two categories of relationships—codependent or interdependent. Most people understand the word codependency as something related to addiction. Relationships can also be codependent. Codependent relationships are defined by unhealthy balances. Interdependent relationships, on the other hand, are defined by a healthy balance. Let's go over the differences between codependent relationships and interdependent ones. Codependency vs. Interdependency: How to Know the Difference Confidence In Who They Are...Or Not In a codependent relationship, one partner will rely heavily on the other person for everything. They base their own opinions, values, or habits directly on their partner. They become so enmeshed with the other person that their own personality and life begin to mimic the other person. Or, they don't have the confidence to be who they are and rely on the other person for their happiness. In an interdependent relationship, each partner does not shape who they are based on the other person. While there may be shared interests or opinions, they know that it's okay to have differences in these things. Needs Of The Other Person A huge sign of a codependent relationship is when the other person's needs and wants always come first. Over time, they come to believe that their own needs are secondary to this other person. And that their happiness should always come first. In an interdependent relationship, this does not exist because each person tries to meet the other's needs and wants. There is a give and a take with every relationship. Balancing these things is a great sign of a healthy relationship. Emotions Codependent relationships will have an uneven playing field when it comes to emotions. Again, they won't deal with their own emotions or feelings because the other person is more important. On the other side of the track, an interdependent relationship is completely different. Each partner understands that their partner's emotions are important. But, they also acknowledge that their own feelings are important too. Conflict A tell-tale sign of an unhealthy relationship is that the couple may constantly argue. Most couples will argue at some point—that is not the issue. In this type of relationship, the arguing is almost daily. Sometimes, there might be no arguing involved for longer periods of time. However, these emotions and thoughts don't get expressed properly, causing them to build up over time. This causes an explosion of feelings and will lead to a couple arguing about everything once the conflict does actually get addressed. In an interdependent relationship, each partner understands that the other person might not agree with them. They know how to express what they are feeling about the other person in a healthy way before it gets too out of control. And, because they are addressing issues in an honest and open way, the conflict is kept to a minimum. How To Get Help With A Codependent Relationship If any of these signs are present in your relationship, don't panic. While codependency is challenging to deal with, it doesn't mean the relationship is doomed to fail. At the end of the day, codependency is all about learned behaviors and actions. And these can always be untaught! Let's connect soon so you can learn more about couples counseling.

Couples Counseling

Codependency vs. Interdependency: How to Know the Difference

Every relationship is different. No two couples will interact with each other in the same ways. Or share the same common interests. It’s what makes life so wonderful at times—knowing how different we all are from one another. However, sometimes, these differences don’t work out exactly in our favor.

Jean Huber, LCSW