RELATIONSHIP THERAPY
Struggling to Assert Your Needs Due to Fear Of People’s Reaction?
Are you experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression? Have you felt stuck or hopeless in your relationship for a while and unsure how to move forward? Do you feel disconnected from friends, family, or even your sense of self?
Perhaps you feel like you haven't experienced joy or contentment in your relationships, or you wonder if you're truly with the right person for you. Maybe you’re going through a major life change, like a divorce or breakup, and the thought of starting a new relationship makes you anxious. Or maybe you feel like others don’t really understand you, and that in your relationships—whether friendships or romantic—you’re being taken advantage of or not truly seen.
Whatever it is, these feelings can leave you questioning your path and longing for clarity and connection. At Samantha Dallas LCPC, I understand that navigating relationships can be difficult. Through therapy, I can help you communicate your needs effectively, reduce relationship conflict, and empower you to protect your emotional, physical, and financial well-being.
Relationships Aren’t Perfect
All relationships face their fair share of challenges—no relationship is perfect. Whether it's with family, friends, or romantic partners, every connection can hit a rough patch. Lasting, healthy relationships require consistent communication, understanding, and effort from both sides.
Maybe in your relationship, you're experiencing:
A sense of numbness or detachment
Becoming easily irritated or frustrated
Shutting down emotionally
Withdrawing or isolating yourself
Difficulties in setting boundaries can often lead to tension and strain. Perhaps financial boundaries are a challenge—maybe you’re in a relationship where you and your partner started with different financial situations, or one of you lost a job and there wasn’t a clear discussion about managing expenses.
It could be that one partner isn’t actively looking for work, leaving the other to shoulder the financial burden. Even in friendships, you might experience situations where one friend frequently borrows money but never pays it back. These scenarios can quickly lead to frustration and resentment without open communication and mutual understanding.
Perhaps you’re struggling with setting other boundaries in your relationship including:
Time boundaries: Balancing personal time with relationship commitments
Intellectual boundaries: Respecting each other's ideas and beliefs
Personal/self-care boundaries: Prioritizing your well-being without guilt
Emotional boundaries: Protecting your feelings and avoiding emotional overextension
Despite what you’re experiencing now, therapy can help you learn how to confidently advocate for yourself, set healthy boundaries, and cultivate more fulfilling relationships.
Relationship Problems Are Fairly Common In Our Society
It’s very common for relationships to face difficulties, especially when clear boundaries aren’t established. This issue arises in all types of relationships—not just romantic—and in one form or another, it’s something nearly everyone encounters.
If you find yourself struggling with boundaries in a romantic relationship, it’s likely that similar challenges arise in other relationships too, as boundaries are deeply connected to how we navigate all our interactions.
Relationship counseling can provide the tools you need to address these challenges and improve not just romantic partnerships but also other areas of life where personal boundaries are important.
Our Childhood Values Can Affect How We Navigate Adult Relationships
A lot of our ability to assert boundaries stems from our childhood experiences and what was modeled or accepted by those around us. Often, we may not fully understand our own wants, needs, values, or what makes us uncomfortable—making it harder to set clear boundaries.
It takes a lot of mindfulness and intentional effort to truly understand who we are and what we need before we can establish healthy boundaries. However, by reflecting in therapy we can learn to assert boundaries more easily. For example, if you weren’t allowed to advocate for yourself with your family or if they didn’t respect your attempts, you might be less likely to assert boundaries later in life.
Much of what we learn about boundaries comes from the modeling we receive. Childhood plays a significant role in shaping our initial skills—or lack thereof—when it comes to boundaries. If your parents or caregivers weren't comfortable with boundaries or didn't model healthy boundary-setting techniques, developing these skills as an adult can be a bit challenging.
Despite what your childhood experiences may have looked like, your relationship therapist can support you and provide the intentional space and time you need to truly understand yourself and gain the ability to enforce healthy boundaries.
Relationship Therapy Can Help You Establish Effective Boundaries
Therapy provides a safe and supportive space for open, honest conversations with someone who listens and understands the challenges of advocating for yourself, especially if you’re unsure where to start.
Together, we’ll explore the core issues at play, uncovering where and why they originate and how they’re negatively impacting your life. From there, we’ll identify what changes you’d like to make and the shifts needed to meet those goals. This process includes clarifying your values and needs, setting healthy boundaries, and learning how to communicate or implement them effectively.
A Tailored Approach Toward Relationship Therapy
During relationship therapy sessions, I incorporate various techniques to help reduce stress, improve communication, and ensure your emotional, physical, and financial well-being.
Mindfulness Therapy creates space for self-reflection, allowing you to explore your values, needs, and desires within the broader context of your life. By gaining clarity on these aspects, you can more effectively communicate them to others, protect yourself, and advocate for your needs—whether in relationships, at work, or in other areas of life. We practice mindfulness techniques such as mantras, meditation, journaling, guided imagery, and visualization.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps challenge and reframe maladaptive thought patterns that may be holding you back in your relationships. By recognizing these patterns and reshaping them, you can boost your confidence, reduce fear, and approach challenges with a more empowered mindset.
You don’t have to feel stuck, misunderstood, or afraid to assert yourself. Positive change is possible, and with the right tools and support, relationship therapy can help you create healthier dynamics, reduce stress, and cultivate more fulfilling connections.
Perhaps You Are Considering Relationship Therapy But Still Have Some Concerns…
If I want to explore what my boundaries could be, but I’m not ready to implement them, will I still be pressured to do so?
Not at all. Your journey is your own, and as a therapist, I respect that everyone has their own timeline. Simply exploring and understanding your boundaries is a significant step forward. Even if you decide not to implement them right away—or ever—recognizing who you are and what you need is half the battle. You will never be judged for when, or if, you decide to take that next step.
What if I’m skeptical about therapy’s effectiveness, especially online therapy?
Progress may look different for each person, and it can take time, but having a safe space to explore your struggles and sense of self is valuable. Many people are surprised by how much they benefit from the process.
Therapy is a personal experience, and its effectiveness depends on what you’re willing to put into it. If you approach therapy with openness, curiosity, and a willingness to apply what you learn, positive change is possible.
Will talking about my issues in therapy make things worse?
It’s natural to worry that discussing painful issues might make things harder. However, the things we avoid talking about often have the most control over us. These unresolved thoughts can linger in the background, contributing to anxiety, depression, or even physical symptoms. While it may feel challenging at first, expressing these thoughts out loud can provide immense relief and reduce their power over you.
Discover Renewed Relationships Through Therapy
You no longer have to feel taken advantage of or struggle with boundary issues in your relationships, Samantha Dallas LCPC can help.
Please contact me for a free 15 to 20-minute consultation to see how my approach to therapy can help you get the best out of your relationships.
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