Various forms of Relationship Help
Relationship help could address any form of relationship: marriage, parent/child, family, individual relationship to yourself, and individual counseling without the other person in the room.
Relationship Help without the other person
Sometimes it can be easier to start alone and get some counseling about a relationship in your life that is confusing. Often the other person does not want to come into counseling, so to get a little direction about relationship can be very helpful without the other person.
It can be easier in the beginning to sort out feelings, thoughts, and attitudes first, without the other person present. Then if it seems necessary later, you could have the other person come in to counseling with you or get another therapist and keep the individual counselor for yourself. The privacy of having an individual counselor and then another counselor for the relationship can be ideal.
Example: Parent-teen Relationship Help
For example, many times parenting teens can be very difficult because the style of parenting changes immensely beginning in adolescence. It can be very helpful to have teens come into counseling with the parent, but they may not want to. This way, the parent can use the counseling to get some help on two very important things: The difference of parenting teens compared to younger children and support and understanding as the parent. Parenting teens can be difficult because they are becoming young adults and they need to have a different point of view than the parents on many things. That is how they find a separate individuality from the parents, even though they are very much like their parents, they aren’t sure how they are different, so they become argumentative and distant. This gives them the time to figure out who they are, more from their friends, rather their parents. From the parents point of view it looks like the blind leading the blind, but for teens it is essential to be and learn with friends. Parents can help them sort out who’s who, in there friendships, school, and over all culture. This is where relationship counseling can be so important. The parent needs to communicate with the teen more as an advisor without going on a monologue about what is right. They need to ask their teens questions to understand their point of view and listen without judgment. Help your teen make better decisions because you are not there when they are with their friends. Teens would like help from their parents, when the parents stop inferring that they are wrong and stupid.
This is one example of parent/teen relationship counseling without the teen in the room. But this could work for any other type of relationship also. Relationships are complex, so even a few counseling sessions could be helpful. We can always read some books and go to classes, but personal consultation can be invaluable.
