The Scoop: It’s scary to feel like you are alone, misunderstood, or trapped in a toxic relationship. Your safe haven can become a destructive environment when partners engage in toxic behaviors. It’s important in moments of conflict or crisis that we seek an expert solution to help stabilize the situation and get ourselves back on the right track. Thanks to the online resources at GoodTherapy, couples have a network of licensed professionals on their side to help with family counseling, therapy, or mental health issues.
Some people shy away from therapy because they associate it with something being wrong or broken. But that’s not the case for everyone. Therapy can be a reflective process that allows people to examine themselves from an unbiased outside perspective. Just as individuals need therapy, couples need it too.
GoodTherapy is an informational service dedicated to bettering the relationship issues couples may be experiencing but are afraid to address. Couples can often get so wrapped up in the concept of love and how it’s supposed to be unconditional that they see no fault in the other person, which creates a false image.
A relationship is collaboration on the basis of mutual effort and trust. Both partners need to be involved to make the relationship functional. It’s similar to a car, if you put gas in, it will drive. If you don’t, then the vehicle won’t go anywhere. The hard part is realizing that effort is needed from both parties and communicating that effectively. That’s why GoodTherapy is here to bridge that gap. It helps users reflect on themselves as individuals so they can be their best version in the relationship.
GoodTherapy expert Deidre A. Prewitt writes, “Stable relationships can provide love, belonging, empathy, and companionship. They cannot provide all the things you may find lacking outside of a relationship.”
When Facing Challenges, Couples Can Seek Support Online
It can be hard asking for help for your relationship, but good thing GoodTherapy gives users online help with a vast amount of resources at their fingertips. Users will have access to articles from experts breaking down potential problems they are having and a virtual guide to
help navigate those hurdles. One example is the article titled, “‘You Complete Me’: Fantasy Versus Reality in Love Relationship.” The article addresses how society has framed love to be a solution to all your problems and once you find it, life will be a smooth ride. This is not the case at all. There will be multiple life events couples experience, and they have to understand how to communicate and comfort each other, during the good and bad times. It’s a brave step to admit that your relationship needs help, so use GoodTherapy as a way to get the necessary resources.
One thing people tend to forget in relationships is that each partner is an individual working to create a habitat to support each other; but each is still a separate person. Love and intimacy doesn’t mean you’re a new person or that your world revolves around your partner. It means you’re including someone else in your life routine, which sometimes means that space is needed for growth.
Growth can be a good thing. GoodTherapy experts highlight why space is important in relationships. This does not mean it’s a sign to end things, just that there’s a small hurdle for you two to overcome together.
GoodTherapy expert Dr. Denise Renye wrote, “Oftentimes being around different people allows for different parts of ourselves to come forth. We shine in different ways around different people. If you are always with your partner, it’s easier to get lost in that togetherness and forget who you are. Also, not all your friends want to also be friends with your partner.”
GoodTherapy also has multiple resources dedicated to self-help. It is helpful for individuals to have ways to evaluate themselves and reflect on how their changes are affecting not only the romantic relationships, but friendships and family bonds too. Clients also share their personal trials and how they overcame them in these self-help articles, highlighting how most of their emotional issues came during their formative years and why therapy helped them address and overcome those problems.
GoodTherapy user Julia Foley revealed, “Seeing a therapist has played a significant role in my recovery. I have developed my ability to cope with difficult emotions and am learning how to adjust and function in a healthy relationship.”
Is Your Partner Toxic? Some Warning Signs to Look for
An important part of being in a relationship is knowing when toxic traits are coming up. In our modern day, the word toxic is tossed around a lot on social media platforms and even in the songs we listen to. This makes it hard to understand what the word actually means and how to identify toxic traits in your own relationship. If the person you’re around makes you feel less than awesome, or even puts you beneath them, that’s a sign of toxicity.
Love is more than just a word – actions have to follow with it. We have to hold all parties accountable, even if it doesn’t always feel comfortable. If your partner is displaying selfish behaviors and making you feel guilty for that, it’s a warning sign. Lovers make excuses for people they care about, and it can become a compromising issue that builds up inside, which leads to more problems in the future.
GoodTherapy experts wrote, “Everyone who’s been in a toxic relationship knows that it’s not always so black and white from the inside. There are moments of happiness, moments where you catch a glimpse of the change you hoped for, or moments you think are the turning point. Potential can be a blessing and a curse.”
GoodTherapy is committed to helping clients analyze these toxic traits and trace them back to their formative years. Experts of the service note that our upbringing plays a huge part in the bonds and romantic relationships we form and how we react to behaviors that may have hurt us as children. To build that secure foundation in a relationship, we need to open ourselves to an environment where transparency of emotional trauma is welcomed and encouraged. GoodTherapy sets up a haven for singles and couples to work through their issues in a productive and caring way.
GoodTherapy expert, Deider A. Prewitt says, “Security in a healthy, mature relationship also includes choosing to be in the relationship with one another. This means choosing to share life together. It means choosing to put the well-being of the relationship over your own desires, your partner over your preferences. Choosing also means identifying when the relationship is unhealthy and taking steps to help it, even when that may seem difficult”. https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/you-complete-me-fantasy-versus-reality-in-love-relationships 0208185
GoodTherapy’s Directory Makes Counseling More Accessible
One of the key resources GoodTherapy offers is a directory of professional certified therapists. The website breaks down the different types of therapy sessions offered and the benefits of each one from the client’s perspective. From Marriage Counseling, to DIstance Therapy, and even a support group, there are specialists for each situation you and your partner may be dealing with.
It’s time to break down the negative connotations and stigma around therapy – because in truth everyone needs it. Couples trying to build a future with someone have to be able to understand their past and what molded them into how they think and who they are today. Users don’t have to feel alone or misunderstood with GoodTherapy. It’s a welcoming environment to help people overcome troubles and become the best versions of themselves.
According to the GoodTherapy blog, “Therapy can help a person draw clear boundaries, take their emotions seriously, and move beyond enmeshment. A therapist is also an outside voice who can help a person understand that the behaviors their family normalized are not healthy and that they do not have to remain trapped in their usual family role forever.”
