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 end up impacting on those other parts of your life, including your children, your career, and your personal wellbeing.

Relationship counseling ("couples therapy") offers you a neutral setting to work through your difficulties.  Often it is hard for the people in a relationship to notice patterns of behaviour, so a professional can offer that insight.  I 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. Couples 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.  I can help you with this.

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and I offer counseling and psychotherapy to individuals and couples  
​My office is in downtown Ridgewood: 162 E Ridgewood Avenue, Suite 4B, Ridgewood, Bergen County, New Jersey 07450  ​
Sessions can take place in-person or online
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Get in contact today.  You can telephone or use the online booking system.
Chris Warren-Dickins LLB MA LPC
Telephone - (201) 779-6917

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