Relationship Therapy
Are Your Relationships Causing You Stress?
Do you struggle to feel secure and validated in your relationships—even with those closest to you?
Is your sense of self-worth tied up in how much you please others?
Despite wanting to change certain behaviors, do you find yourself getting caught up in the same unhealthy relationship patterns?
When we don’t feel close and connected to the people in our lives, deep feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and discomfort are likely to occur. Whether we experience the stress of interpersonal conflict or feel generally dissatisfied in our relationships, losing our sense of belonging can be painful.
So, What Do You Do When You’re Feeling Disconnected?
If your relationships are imbalanced or unfulfilling, you may find that you’re over-extending yourself just to gain a sense of security—saying yes to tasks or plans even when you don’t have the time or energy.
Maybe a voice in your head pops up each time you want to set a boundary, setting off alarm bells that you’re going to let someone down, not accomplish what’s expected of you, or that you should be able to handle it on your own without help.
Over time, this pressure has probably contributed to a cycle of shame, guilt, and resentment, complicating your ability to be close and present. It’s possible that you’ve begun to notice new conflicts or feel trapped in a cycle you thought you’d escaped long ago.
Sustained positive change can happen, though. Whether something has recently shifted your relationship dynamic or routine at home or you’re ready to tackle long-standing relationship patterns, therapy can be valuable in the process of becoming the partner, parent, or family member you want to be.
For Most Of Us, Vulnerability Is A Learned Skill
childhood and how cultural influences shape our understanding of healthy, secure relationships. Regardless of whether they occur in childhood or later in life, attachment injuries can damage our self-esteem, compromise our trust, and keep us from feeling capable of true love and intimacy.
Unfortunately, genuine support and vulnerability—the touchstones of secure attachments—are not always effectively demonstrated to us, and our hyper-individualistic society doesn’t tend to prioritize emotional and relational intelligence.
Instead of growing up in interdependent relationships, a lot of us grow up in codependent ones, meaning we define our worthiness in terms of how much we do for others. Imbalances are inevitable in this framework, usually leading to strain and making us feel like we’d be better off avoiding, withdrawing, or falling back into unhealthy yet familiar patterns.
Therapy is one of the best avenues for developing your relationship toolkit. As a therapist guides you in identifying your strengths, recognizing your boundaries, and communicating in a way that allows you to get your needs met, you can show up to all of your relationships as your most loving, authentic, and joyful self.
Therapy Through Escobedo Counseling Is Designed To Make Your Relationships More Balanced And Fulfilling
Our wellbeing largely depends on how well our relationships are functioning, and counseling can provide invaluable perspective into how we relate to ourselves and those around us.
Individual therapy through my practice is a great fit for clients who:
Feel anxious, stuck, or unsatisfied in their relationship with a partner, friend, parent, or other family member
Don’t feel fully secure and/or able to be vulnerable in their relationships, particularly in their intimate partnerships
Want to examine their attachment style and harmful patterns from the past so they can avoid making the same mistakes in future relationships
Are looking to explore how communication and behaviors were modeled in their family of origin in the process of healing generational trauma
Could benefit from bolstering the work they’re doing in couples counseling with a partner
My counseling approach blends aspects of attachment theory and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to help you understand your unique relational blueprint. As we learn more about your behaviors and triggers, we can build an individualized toolkit for fostering awareness and regulation. And as you enhance your coping, communication, and boundary-setting skills in therapy, you can create new, empowering narratives about yourself and your relationships.
Injuries Happen In Relationships—But So Does Healing
The most valuable tool we have in this process is the client-therapist relationship itself, as I aim to model healthy attunement and connection in the counseling space. I take a warm and empathetic yet gently challenging approach with clients, often helping them to see their relationships in new, insightful ways.
I know that despite being trapped in a pattern of stress, conflict, and/or avoidance, you want nothing more than to experience peace and connection with the most important people in your life. Through therapy, you can learn to manage your relationships with a life-changing sense of balance and authenticity.
Have Questions About Counseling?
How long does therapy take?
Since every client comes to therapy with their own unique experiences and existing coping skills, it can be difficult to predict how long the treatment process will take. That said, counseling is always individualized, taking into consideration specific goals and scheduling limitations.
I will make sure to check in with you on a regular basis to get a sense of your progress, and we can always add or reduce weekly sessions if needed.
I’ve already tried exploring relationship issues in counseling with my partner—why should I go to individual therapy?
While couples counseling is a great opportunity to work through relationship conflict in real time, individual therapy can help you build even more on the important work you’re doing with your partner. As you explore your attachment style and history with a therapist whose attention is solely on you, you can deepen insights and reinforce skills for making all of your relationships more functional.
My struggles have to do with individual mental health concerns (ex. stress, anxiety, depression), so how would relationship therapy help?
us, but the truth is that our relationships maintain a lot of influence over our outlook, mood, and behaviors. Even if it feels like you’ve struggled with your individual mental health for as long as you can remember, chances are there is some aspect of relational imbalance or injury that is contributing to your discomfort.
I am confident that the more you explore and heal your attachment wounds in therapy, the more affirming your relationships—including the one you have with yourself—will be.
Heal Your Relationships, Heal Yourself
As an attachment-focused practice, Escobedo Counseling specializes in individual therapy for people experiencing stress, anxiety, and imbalanced or unfulfilling relationships. Schedule a consultation to find out more about my approach.
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