Individual Therapy for Relationship Issues: When Your Partner Won’t Attend

Individual therapy can also help if you’re dating and noticing repeated patterns in relationships—such as choosing similar partners, struggling with communication, or feeling stuck in the same dynamics.

While much of my work focuses on couples and relationships in distress, this work can still help you understand patterns early and approach future relationships differently.

Yes, including:

• Relationship problems with family members (e.g., estrangement)
• Relationship transitions – support through divorce, transition to parenthood
• Role strain – work/life balance between your roles as a spouse, parent, caregiver for an aging parent, busy professional, etc

Many clients begin individual therapy on a weekly basis, and then switch to once or twice per month or “as-needed” appointments once they’ve reached their immediate goals.

I will offer recommendations for your treatment, but your number of sessions and session schedule is always up to you.

Individual therapy with me is flexible and designed to best meet your needs.

I recommend that most clients plan for 6-8 sessions, depending on your issues. At a certain point, we will evaluate your progress and determine if further therapy is needed.

Many issues can be addressed using short-term treatment (6-8 sessions).

However, some issues may require longer term therapy (12+ sessions).

Individual therapy always begins and ends with your needs and privacy as the priority. Sessions are one on one with me.

They will last for 50, 90, or 120 minutes depending on what session length you select.

Depending on your issues and goals, there may be occasional homework assignments in between sessions but these are not a requirement for attending counseling sessions.

During the first session, we’ll discuss your background (family and relationship history), current problems, the impact of your problems on your life, and your goals. I’ll work with you to gain clarity on your personal goals and how these can be reached within individual counseling.

We will then spend counseling sessions assessing your problematic patterns, challenging unhelpful beliefs, working toward your goals by targeting changes in your thoughts and behaviors, and problem-solving as weekly issues arise.

Along the way, we will evaluate your progress and determine when your treatment is nearing its end.

At times, we may find it helpful to include family members or your relationship partner in select sessions if this works towards your personal goals.

However, in individual therapy you are in control of whether or not this happens. And, as the primary client and the focus will always be on your individual needs first and foremost, even if others join you for a session.

After you complete individual therapy, we may also decide to end your treatment and transition you into couple or family therapy. This depends on your needs and goals.

Many clients want to begin individual therapy but are unsure if it can help them address their relationship problems with others.

Whether your having issues with your partner/spouse, parents, siblings, or others in your life, individual counseling can give you insight and change strategies to transform your personal role in your relationship problems.

Many clients find that by changing their own ways of thinking and behaving, others around them respond to the positive changes and their relationships become healthier as a result.

Feel free to contact me and set up a free phone consultation to discuss your needs and if individual therapy is can be useful for you.

The particular model of therapy that I use for individual therapy depends on your presenting concerns. My primary models include:

• Bowen Family Systems
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
• Solution-Focused Therapy