Most people think couples counselling when relationships start to feel stuck. What if your partner doesn’t want to go to counselling? What if you’re not sure it’s “the relationship” that’s the problem, but you?
We get asked this question a lot: Can counselling help with relationships?
The short answer? Absolutely. Individual counselling can be beneficial for clients who want better relationship experiences, even if their partner isn’t in therapy with them.
Why Relationship Problems Often Feel Stuck
Relationship challenges rarely happen overnight. They usually develop through patterns:
- Repeated communication breakdowns
- Emotional withdrawal
- Conflict that escalates quickly
- Feeling unheard or unappreciated
- Power imbalances
- Anxiety within the relationship
In many cases, these patterns are influenced by personal attachment styles, past experiences, stress, and unprocessed emotions.
This is where individual counselling becomes powerful.
How Individual Therapy Improves Relationships
Individual therapy focuses on understanding your emotional responses, communication habits, and relational triggers.
Through individual counselling in New Westminster BC, clients often gain clarity about:
- Why certain arguments escalate
- Why they feel overly responsible in the relationship
- Why they struggle with boundaries
- Why they fear abandonment or rejection
- Why resentment builds silently
When one person changes their patterns, the dynamic of the relationship shifts. Even small adjustments in emotional regulation, communication style, or boundaries can create noticeable differences.
Benefits of Individual Therapy for Relationship Growth
Want better relationships? Individual therapy can help you learn how. It can also help you grow as a person on its own. Check out these benefits.
- Increased self-awareness: You gain a deeper understanding of your emotional responses and how they affect your relationships.
- Better communication skills: Therapy helps you learn how to express your needs clearly and respectfully.
- Stronger emotional regulation: Therapy helps reduce knee-jerk reactions during conflicts, allowing for a more measured approach.
- Healthier boundaries: You’ll learn how to set and maintain healthy boundaries, preventing emotional exhaustion or codependency.
Individual Therapy vs. Couples Therapy
Marriage counseling and individual counselling are two separate objectives.
Marriage counseling is about the relationship you share with your partner.
Individual counseling is about your personal patterns and reactions.
Should your partner not want to participate in marriage counselling, seeing a counselor on your own can help you start the process without delay. Additionally, it can help you with insights that you can bring to your relationship when you are ready to do marriage counseling with a higher level of awareness.
Clients often find that individual counseling before couples counselling near me lowers their anxiety and helps build confidence before including their partner.
When Individual Therapy Is Especially Helpful
Individual counselling may be beneficial if:
- You are the only one motivated to seek help
- You feel emotionally overwhelmed in the relationship
- You struggle with people pleasing or overfunctioning
- You experience anxiety or depression related to relationship stress
- You’re unsure whether to stay or leave
Therapy creates space to clarify your needs without pressure.
Read More: Couples Counselling Work After Cheating
How to Find the Right Therapist for Relationship Issues
Ask around about therapists that specialize in couples/marriage issues. Here are some tips to help you find a good fit.
- Make sure they have experience with attachment theory, CBT, or EFT. These are all evidenced based approaches to relationship problems.
- Get recommendations online or from people you trust.
- Don’t hesitate to ask questions during the first consultation about their approach and experience with relationship counseling.
How to Heal a Struggling Relationship
Change needs to occur on both sides of the relationship in order to heal from any damages. However, if only one person is willing to work on themselves, starting with affordable couple therapy can be helpful. Below are some ways to start:
- Open communication: Continue communicating how you feel in a calm and understanding manner.
- Set healthy boundaries: Learn what feels comfortable and maintain those boundaries, even in difficult situations.
- Stay committed to personal growth: Work on yourself by continuing to check in with your emotions.
Individual Counselling for Relationship Concerns in New Westminster BC
We offer individual counselling in New Westminster, BC at Mind Matters Counselling for clients dealing with relationship issues. Through a mix of attachment-based counselling, CBT, and emotionally focused work, clients learn how to understand their cycles and create healthier relationships.
Looking for relationship counselling? Relationship counselling can feel overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. Individual therapy is a great way to begin your journey.
Book a session with Mind Matters Counselling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can individual therapy help a relationship?
Yes, individual therapy can help a relationship by allowing one partner to work on their personal patterns, emotional responses, and communication habits. This personal growth often leads to improved dynamics within the relationship, even if the other partner is not involved in therapy.
What is the best type of therapy for relationship issues?
It depends on what type of issue you are having within your relationship but some examples would be Couples Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Individual therapy can be beneficial as well if you want to work on regulating your own emotions or maybe do some attachment based counseling to dig deep into your own personal patterns.
Can a therapist help with relationship problems?
Yes, therapists can work with relationship issues. Individual therapy and couples counseling can help partners understand themselves and each other better and learn new skills to communicate and deal with conflict more effectively.
Would a therapist recommend ending a relationship?
Therapists do not typically recommend ending relationships unless they believe it is necessary for the safety and well-being of their clients. The role of a therapist is to help individuals explore their feelings, improve communication, and determine what is best for their emotional health and the relationship.
How to heal a struggling relationship?
Repairing damage in a relationship can come through talking through issues and working on setting healthy boundaries. Working through baggage each partner may be bringing to the relationship through individual or couples therapy may also be beneficial.
