Relational therapy is a therapeutic approach that was founded on the belief that a person must have fulfilling and satisfying relationships with the people around them in order to be emotionally healthy. Relational therapy handles emotional and psychological distress by looking at the client’s patterns of behavior and experiences in interpersonal relationships, taking social factors, such as race, class, culture, and gender, into account. Relational therapy can be useful in the treatment of many issues, but is especially successful when working with individuals seeking to address long-term emotional distress, particularly when that distress related to relationships. Relational therapy will help clients learn skills to create and maintain healthy relationships. Think this approach might be right for you? Reach out to one of TherapyDen’s relational therapy experts today.
Trained to focus on therapeutic relationship, transference, and countertransference.
— Karen Idigo, Psychologist in Teaneck NJ 07666, NJHumans are innately relational creatures whose thriving largely depends on being in connection with each other. I believe that it is in relationship with each other where we can do our deepest growth and healing, both of ourselves and our communities. You don't have to be alone. Being in relationship also means learning to set healthy boundaries, have agency over our lives, and access vulnerability. The therapeutic space is a great place to practice all of that.
— Luke Hirst, Licensed Clinical Social Worker - Candidate in Durham, NCRelational Life Level 1 & 2 Couples & Sex Therapy (Integrative Sex Therapy Institute)
— Malia Scott, Associate Professional Counselor in Lubbock, TXI love working with couples, partners, families (and even close friends) to address and repair their relationships. I help these clients understand more about their relationships, grow deeper together with their loved ones, and move towards healthy and balanced relationships. No one is an island, and working with the relationships themselves can help lasting change come to fruition and be sustained.
— Brittany Steckel, Licensed Professional Counselor in Littleton, COTherapy with anyone in your life who is important to you! Parents, siblings, co-workers, couples looking to open up, couples looking to split up, co-parenting, step-parenting or any other relationship you'd like help improving.
— Angie Dion, Licensed Marriage & Family TherapistThrough Relational Therapy, we explore the role each relationship plays in your life. It investigates what are the meanings and thoughts created out of those relationships. The idea is that strong and fulfilling relationships are the foundation for well-being.
— Bruna M. Lupo, Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern in Orlando, FLI often work with clients from a relational perspective which means that I look at their patterns of relating to others, and how these patterns often originate from relationships earlier in life. Once people are aware of the patterns they are engaging in, we are able to start working on changing them if needed.
— Ginny Kington, Psychologist in Duluth, GAI was trained primarily in a Relational approach to therapy. I love the relational approach because it allows the therapeutic relationship to become a place where we can explore the dynamics that are at play in a client's other relationships in real time during the therapy hour, which I believe can be a truly transformative experience.
— Ashley Eisenlohr, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate in Everett, WAIn more modern therapeutic approaches, providers allow themselves to be a part of the therapeutic work, engaging in collaborative conversation and mutual exploration towards personal growth. An integrative treatment methodology removes the perceived "expert" stance in the client-provider dynamic because you expect your own life. We are supports to help facilitate a more explicit understanding. This paradigm shift encourages the evaluation of all relationships and how they impact your life.
— Kyle McEvoy, Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New York, NYTherapy doesn't work without a strong relationship. Given that, my first priority is always building a relationship that feels safe enough to be a playground for exploration. With a strong relationship, we can make therapy a place for trying out new behaviors, identities, and even relationship patterns. To do this, I will always strive to be transparent, consistent, and humbly thankful when a client is willing to tell me that I've made a mistake or gone astray.
— Ash Levine, Therapist in Chicago, ILIn Relational Therapy, we use our therapist-patient relationship to better understand how you relate to other people. In therapy, your relational patterns will eventually manifest in our therapist-patient relationship. This gives you the opportunity to become aware of your patterns and practice changing the unwanted ones in a safe space with your therapist. For example, if you are normally withdrawn and don’t express your opinions, you can practice expressing how you feel with your therapist.
— Christina Raghubeer, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor AssociateAll my clients bring to therapy the desire to improve relationship functioning. I address issues such as gaining the courage to set stronger boundaries with a difficult person, resolving anxiety from relational trauma, or taking ownership for resolving marital conflict. I serve clients who want to understand and grow in the context of important relationships. I create authentic, trusting therapeutic experiences with clients that they can build on in their everyday lives.
— Margaret Certain, Marriage & Family Therapist in Seattle, WAMany people find being in deep and authentic connection with others in the outside world to be terrifyingly vulnerable. I see therapy as the perfect opportunity to explore how to be in healthy relationship with a safe other. My job is to create a safe and inviting space, tailor made for you, your lived experience, and your needs each time we meet. Let's practice vulnerability together!
— Sam Krehel, Mental Health Counselor in , WAOur relationships with our partners, friendships, & selves are deeply connected to whether we felt heard, understood, & safe growing up. I provide individual & relational therapy with the goal of understanding this context & how it impacts us in order to effectively address problems that you're experiencing today.
— MacKenzie Knapp, Marriage & Family Therapist in Tacoma, WAI see the therapeutic relationship as the foundation for the work of therapy. I strive to engage compassionately and authentically, and to enter into a collaborative space with the client that is based on building trust, openness, and curiosity. I invite clients to provide me with feedback about their experiences in our time together, as these reactions can often help us strengthen our relationship as well as build insight into patterns a client may be experiencing in the rest of their life.
— Dr. Luana Bessa, Psychologist in Boston, MAThe best predictor of success in counseling is the relationship between client and therapist. I pour my energy into hearing, understanding and respecting my clients, believing what they tell me, and checking in to ensure the space we share is safe and supportive. We build relational skills that clients then take into their own relationships outside of therapy, enriching their support networks to ensure success is sustained.
— Janae Andrew, Licensed Professional Counselor in Phoenix, AZ