COUNSELING & THERAPY | NORTHERN NEW JERSEY
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Relationship counseling

It might be time to consider relationship counseling if –
  • You fight more than you express kindness to each other
  • You recently experienced a transition (job change, house move, bereavement, having children)
  • You are unhappy, but you cannot pinpoint why
  • You have significantly different hopes and expectations for the relationship
  • You are in fundamental disagreement about how to raise your children
  • You coexist rather than enjoy each other’s company
  • You would like to explore issues before you enter into a commitment; for example, you are considering premarital counseling
  • You struggle to manage boundaries in your relationship, including boundaries with family members, friends, or use of social media
  • One or more of you is experiencing depression, anxiety, addiction, or anger management issues in your relationship 

How can Relationship Counseling help?
It takes a great deal of effort to admit that something is wrong in a relationship.  And it takes even more effort to do something about it.  Life gets in the way:  After your children, career, parents and friends, it is hard to give your relationship any sort of attention.  But an unhappy relationship can impact so many parts of your life.

Relationship counseling (also known as couples counseling, couples therapy, or marriage counseling) offers you a neutral setting to work through your difficulties.  Often it is hard for people in a relationship to notice patterns of behaviour, so a professional can offer that insight.  We will work hard to ensure that all perspectives are heard and understood.  

The solution can sometimes be as simple as fine-tuning communication patterns within your relationship. 
Or perhaps there are unresolved issues from your past. Relationship therapy is a confidential space to explore those issues, somewhere you can be heard and understood.  

Sometimes a relationship is dominated by the ‘tyranny of the shoulds’. This phrase was coined by Karen Horney, and it basically suggests that we have an idea of how we should live, how others should treat us, and how society as a whole should be.  When our expectations do not match reality, we can end up experiencing distress.  In a relationship, there are multiple sets of ‘shoulds’, thereby increasing the risk of distress. 

To help with this, we need to identify our ‘shoulds’.  And we need to identify the 'shoulds' of our loved ones.  Then we can negotiate and decide which 'shoulds' are mandatory for the relationship, and which we are willing to concede.  We can help you with this.
Latest blog posts on Relationship Counseling

Office address:  162 E Ridgewood Ave, Suite 4B, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
​Find out more about our boutique psychotherapy service, with offices in the heart of downtown Ridgewood, Bergen County, New Jersey. 
Book an Appointment

Relationship Counseling | Northern New Jersey

Psychotherapy

​Chris Warren-Dickins LLB MA LPC

​162  E  Ridgewood Ave, Suite 4B, Ridgewood,
​Northern New Jersey,  NJ 07450

Call us today
Book an Appointment
Email us

Providing counseling and therapy for the whole of Northern New Jersey including
​Bergen County, Essex County, Passaic County, Hudson County, Union County, Morris County, and surrounding areas
** Please note - Do not send personal information via email or the online contact form; neither is secure.  Please telephone us to discuss (201) 779-6917 **
© COPYRIGHT 2015 CHRIS WARREN-DICKINS.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NJ LICENCE # 37PC00618700
  • HOME
  • MEN'S THERAPY
  • LGBTQ THERAPY
  • EMDR THERAPY
  • THERAPY SERVICES
    • Online therapy
    • Relationship counseling
    • Gender affirming therapy
    • Individual therapy
  • RESOURCES
    • 5 tips for a better life
    • Audio therapy
    • Help for anxiety
    • Help for depression
    • Why am I so angry?
    • How to trust
    • How to manage self-blame
  • CONTACT YOUR THERAPIST
  • ABOUT
  • FEES & INSURANCE
  • BLOG