Relationship Therapy
in Baltimore
Do You Feel Like Your Relationships Are Wearing You Down?
Are you so exhausted from taking care of loved ones or doing damage control in your romantic relationship that you barely have the mental bandwidth to focus on anything else?
Do you find yourself automatically disregarding your own feelings and needs in order to meet the expectations that siblings, partners, or employers have set for you?
Perhaps you work in a high-performance industry where your romantic and professional relationships are increasingly at odds with your core values.
Or maybe you’re looking into therapy as the parent of a teenager or young athlete who could use a little help navigating the crucial relationships in their life.
We All Struggle In Relationships In Wildly Different Ways
For instance, perhaps you thrive on validation but have a difficult time sustaining that feeling in your professional relationships, despite your successes. Or maybe you find yourself getting stuck with the same disappointing romantic partners and you can’t understand why.
You may worry about letting other people down so much that you have trouble saying “No” or advocating for yourself without feeling guilty. To avoid that pressure, you probably end up dodging work colleagues or ignoring calls and texts, even from friends and family.
Whether your relationships are struggling on the field, at home, or in the workplace, our compassionate therapists at BrykMinds want to help you enjoy deeper, more fulfilling connections all around. Together, we can work on setting boundaries, improving communication, and deepening your sense of self-worth throughout the many relationships in your life.
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Relationships Bear A Tremendous Amount Of Stress
Oftentimes, that stress comes from those relationships most important to us. For example, most of us have been told our whole lives that “family is everything,” so there’s a strong natural tendency to resist holding loved ones accountable for their actions.
When partnering up, differences in cultural background, religious beliefs, or personal expectations for intimacy, power-sharing, and roles within the relationship can make breaking norms feel threatening. Similarly, guys are sometimes too afraid to engage in sensitive conversations with romantic partners due to unspoken societal expectations that discourage vulnerability.
Isn’t It Possible To Have Healthy Relationships Without Therapy?
Of course, and most of the relationships we enjoy are positive, but even with vigilance (and training), we can still have sensitive areas or blindspots. The truth is, few of us were taught how to say, No thank you, I’m sorry, or This is what I really need from you, without feeling guilty—or making someone else feel bad.
In fact, how we show up in relationships as adults is directly informed by the behavioral patterns and emotional responses modeled by our parents—flaws and all. Moreover, early experiences with rejection, betrayal, or trauma can make the concept of vulnerability (a crucial part of any relationship) feel dangerous. So our relationships are continually shaped by complex, oftentimes, unseen forces.
The great thing about relationship counseling is that it can help you identify and address the root of fear, mistrust, or conflict that’s creating stress—whether it involves your family, career, or friendships. It allows you to understand your behaviors and heal the wounds driving unhelpful patterns, transforming your relationship with yourself and everyone around you.
Therapy For Relationships Is About Awareness, Empowerment, And Change
Relationships are naturally tricky. After all, each of us has our own values, biases, and histories that influence how we show up in relationships. Those personal dynamics shape everything from how we think, feel, and connect with others to how we define happiness and what brings meaning to our lives.
Working with a relationship counselor at BrykMinds helps shed light on those often hidden forces, putting you in touch with your true values and what you really want for yourself. Therapy can help you set healthy, guilt-free boundaries, interrupt negative patterns causing problems, and foster greater agency in your relationships, no matter how wildly different or complex they are.
What Can You Expect To Experience In Relationship Counseling?
We’ll start with talking about what brings you to BrykMinds, looking at immediate challenges, how you’ve been coping, and what some of your short-term goals are for therapy. From there, we’ll explore your relationship history within the various contexts of your life, looking at times where you felt safe and cared for and experienced love and kindness.
We’ll also carefully discuss situations in which you were hurt or felt unseen, misunderstood, or “less than.” Then, we’ll work on identifying and correcting any internalized messages from those negative experiences, utilizing our newfound understanding and awareness to create focused change.
Some Of The Tools We Use In Relationship Therapy
At BrykMinds, our relationship counselors take a humanistic approach to therapy, often integrating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Relational-Cultural Therapy, and Mindfulness into sessions.
Some of the things we’ll work on include:
Becoming more aware of the thoughts, beliefs, and emotions that shape your personal dynamics—and changing how those forces influence your relationships with other people
Identifying what is important to you and assessing whether or not those core values are reflected in your relationships
Learning how to balance your own needs with still being there for other people, particularly if your relationships involve navigating multiple roles or identities
Tuning into how certain moments in your relationships make you feel and meeting those experiences with compassion and curiosity rather than judgment or worry
Building skills for communicating more effectively, setting respectful boundaries, and safely embracing vulnerability within your relationships
Every Relationship Has Its Ups And Downs
However, with our support, you can finally learn how to advocate for yourself and get what you need out of life while still feeling like “a good person.” Relationship therapy equips you with practical skills and tools for tolerating the natural stress of interpersonal interactions, ensuring that you’re building a future that truly aligns with your values. In turn, you’ll be able to enjoy greater meaning, connection, and joy in your relationships throughout your life.
Any Questions/Concerns About Individual Therapy For Relationship Issues?
I want my teen to try relationship counseling, but they’re afraid you’ll take sides.
We want to make it clear: whether we are meeting with kids, teens, or adults, we’re not here to take sides or assign blame. Rather, our job is to validate our clients’ experiences, lessen their pain, and teach them how to navigate their relationships in a way that opens doors to a more fulfilling and meaningful life all around.
How can I be sure my relationship counselor won’t judge me?
At BrykMinds, we prioritize creating a safe, nonjudgmental space where you can be yourself and share your story without reservation or fear. Our humanistic therapeutic approach means we’ll meet you with unconditional positive regard, acknowledging the inherent strength, resilience, and wisdom you possess. We’re here to listen and appreciate the experiences that have shaped you while helping you untangle the roots of your distress and empowering you to create the life and connections you want.
I’ve tried relationship counseling before and nothing changed—how will this be any different?
This isn’t uncommon, and it’s something we strive to avoid by centering each session around your goals and needs. From the start, we’ll zero in on your personal values—what makes you tick and feel alive—ensuring we’re working toward the changes you want in your relationships. To avoid the same pitfalls you encountered before, we’ll explore what you found disappointing with your last therapist while building upon the successes and strategies that came out of that relationship.
Let’s Build Stronger, Healthier Connections In Your Life
If you’re struggling in your relationships with family members, romantic partners, co-workers, or even teammates, our holistic, humanistic approach to therapy can help you find peace. Please call BrykMinds at 240-222-5293 or use the contact button below to schedule your free, 15-minute consultation.
BrykMinds offers online Relationship Counseling in Baltimore, MD, Montgomery County, MD, Howard County, MD, Washington, DC, and throughout the state of Maryland.
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