By: Bunny Young, MA, QMHP

Therapy can have some serious consequences on your relationships when you fully lean in to the therapeutic process.

What can therapy do for my relationships, you ask? When you invest in working with a therapy team, like the one here at Life Cycles Counseling, you can discover and cultivate who you are and what is important to you. Frequently this means that our clients uncover their own expectations about their lives, whether those expectations are high or low. This may be the first time that a client clearly identifies what it is that they truly desire, what they are willing to put up with, and what they no longer consider necessary or respectful. The results of this exercise may be shocking to some. If you have spent your entire life in co-dependent relationships, judging your worth by someone else’s perception of your value, what do you think would happen if someone asked you what you thought of your own value and how much you were truly worth?

Finding Self Worth in Therapy

Often the default for individuals is a low self worth or a lack of confidence, especially if there has been a trauma or abuse event in the past. At Life Cycles Counseling, we will begin to get in touch with that true worth, while supporting you in developing confidence. After a short while, clients begin to discover that the relationships and friendships they have tolerated for years are not truly healthy or beneficial, and may in fact be toxic – sabotaging their progress and concept of self.

Destroying Relationships

At this point we have a conversation about setting boundaries with that group or individual. The client then has to decide what they are willing to continue to invest into this relationship or friendship and at what cost to their own health and value. In some instances, this may result in the client realizing that they deserve better and therefore ending the relationship is the best choice. But hear this loud and clear: THAT IS OKAY.

If a relationship is making you feel like this, it may be time for therapy to break it up.

Sometimes growing up means out growing or growing past individuals, environments, and situations that used to be comfortable and familiar for us. The point of working on our selves is to have some change. This may be a change in perception, a change in our personal lives, in our friendships, social lives, and even in our work environments. We honor this change and know that it requires support before, during, and after. We are here to share that space with each and every one of our clients. Click here to learn how to successfully communicate with your partner.  As always, leave a comment on our Facebook page.