Relationships

The Benefits of Relationship Counselling

Every relationship is different. There is no one right way to love or be loved; to care or show caring; or to show up in a meaningful way in our own or others’ lives. However, the one thing we do know is that our relationships play an integral role in our health and wellbeing, as well as the longevity of our lives.

An 80 year longitudinal study out of Harvard (1938 – 2018) – to date the longest study on health and happiness – demonstrated that the quality of our relationships matter the most with regard to our health and happiness. Dr Robert Waldinger – the director of the study – indicated the findings of the study in quite clear terms when he wrote, “Loneliness kills, it’s as powerful as smoking or alcoholism,” (Mineo, 2017).

For many people, healthy relationships – with self and others – are at the core of what makes life feel enjoyable, meaningful and satisfying. Often when relationships become disrupted or unhealthy it can cause significant experiences of stress, preoccupation and distraction. Whether you want to work on building and growing a healthy relationship either with yourself or others, or whether you want to try to work through challenges within your relationships, having a safe place to talk about how you are feeling can often allow you to move forward in a way that supports and encourages your own sense of integrity and well-being.

Relationship with Self

Healthy relationships with others often rely on a person having a healthy relationship with themselves. Bringing attention to the way you treat yourself, can often provide profound insights into your patterns of relating to others. For many people, who are more used to paying attention to the needs of those around them, giving voice to their own thoughts, feelings and needs, can often be the starting the point for, not only fostering healthy self image and self esteem, but also developing healthy relationships with others. For those who sometimes feel detached or isolated from a true sense of self, beginning to find ways to fully understand what is going on inside themselves, can help a person to develop healthy self-esteem along with the confidence to engage in healthy connections with others too.

Relationships with Others

There are many different kinds of relationships in life – familial, friendly, romantic and / or sexual, professional and situational. Be it with a family member, friend, partner, or co-worker, our experience of a relationship can have a significant impact on our day to day lives. Understanding our experience of these relationships and feeling equipped with the tools and strategies to communicate and understand our own and other’s needs within relationships are essential for building confidence and trust and fostering positive relationships. Sometimes, however, we also find ourselves in situations where circumstances force us to be in relationship with people who we prefer not to be. Again, having tools and strategies to manage these situations, or if needs be extract ourselves from these relationships, can also be essential for emotional, psychological and physical well being.

Loss of Relationship

While many of us may experience the loss of relationship in our lives, sometimes we find it hard to move forward if we do not have the necessary time or support to experience and process these losses. Grieving relationships can often be a complicated process and hard to do alone. Sometimes we may think we have moved on and then something else comes up. There is no one ‘right way’ to grieve but the experience can be far more manageable with safe space, support and time.

If you are interested in finding out more, explore the individual or couples tabs to find out more.