We’ve talked before about how helpful couples therapy is, including sex therapy, and it’s just as important to do it yourself as an individual. That’s where individual therapy comes in (which simply means therapy where you work one-on-one with the therapist). Here are five ways that individual therapy can help you gain self-awareness, cope with interpersonal challenges, and improve communication, all of which can lead to healthier, happier relationships.
1. Gain clarity and perspective
Have you ever gone through a break up due to some major issue or other and noticed the same issue coming up in your next relationship? And the next? It’s time to look within. Therapy can help you gain a deeper understanding of your own thought patterns, unhelpful beliefs, and behaviors, including those that interfere with your relationships.
2. Accept that your partner is not perfect, and neither are you
Expectations of perfection, whether they come from childhood exposure to fairy tales or adult exposure to social media, can be really damaging to relationships. Individual therapy can help you unpack and let go of the idea of a perfect relationship and stop comparing what you have to what you think others have.
3. Address past traumas
Past traumas can have a major impact on our lives as well as our relationships. If you or your partner have experienced trauma, therapy can provide a way to process and heal from these experiences. By working through past traumas, you can better understand the ways in which they affect your happiness and your current relationship and then work to overcome these challenges.
4. Learn to be a better communicator
If you find yourself having the same arguments over and over again, you and your partner are probably having some communication challenges. Individual therapy can help you develop better communication skills so you can express yourself in a healthy, effective way. You can also learn how to practice active listening and conflict resolution in your relationship, both of which can be game changers.
5. Know and set your boundaries
We may know that boundaries are important in our relationships, but setting them (and sometimes even knowing what they are) can be tricky. Individual therapy can help you define your boundaries, which can help you feel more confident and in control in relationships. You can also learn through individual therapy how to communicate your boundaries in a respectful and effective way.
6. Process your experiences in a safe environment
Individual therapy provides a unique opportunity to process your thoughts and feelings with someone who is fully committed to you. In therapy, unlike most other situations in life, it’s about you, your personal development, your needs, and your desires. Vulnerability can be difficult to access but having a safe space to do so can help you work through any personal and/or relationship challenges you are experiencing.
