The Expat Psychologists

Relationship and marriage counseling

When love burdens

When you and your partner drift apart, the whole world seems to turn a shade of grey. It affects everything. Nothing seems to work, you feel tired and drag yourself through the day. You also start avoiding certain things. First you avoid the difficult subjects, then each other and eventually even your own emotions. Your home falls silent. And you both ask yourself the same question: how did we end up here?

You are still together

You haven’t ended your marriage yet. Why? Maybe because you share valuable memories. You remember the days when you gave each other energy instead of draining each other. You remember times when you yearned to be together. Maybe you are staying together for convenience sake, or for the children’s sake?

Whatever the reason, there is still something that makes it worthwhile. But not the way it is now. Something has to change. Yet, every time you try to discuss it, you end up arguing and blaming each other.

Not on your own…

Don’t try to solve this on your own. You are both stuck in patterns that you cannot break free from. Your arguments have been repeated over and over (‘here we go again’), and the outcome is always the same – every single time. So you know what the outcome is going be before it even happened.

Relationship and marriage counseling can help you to break out of those patterns of repetitiveness and to open up to each other’s feelings and desires. You could really start to see the other again.

Don’t be surprised

You think that you know each other through and through. And you do. Yet sometimes counseling can open people up and make them face themselves and reveal previously unknown aspects. Sometimes people hide certain psychological issues from each other to avoid placing strain on the relationship.

Relationship counseling is the rediscovery of yourself, the other, and of you both as a couple.

Separation

Sometimes there simply is no solution. If this is the case, you need to separate. However, there’s also a practical side to separation, a legal one, and an emotional one. You once thought that you would be together for the rest of your lives, so maybe there are children involved. These children, you and the relationship that you shared deserve proper closure. A relationship counselor can help you with this.

Read more about sexuality and your relationship.

Does this sound familiar? Do you need help? Perhaps you have a question about relationship or marriage counseling. Call us to make an appointment or send us an email.