The ability to really listen, understand and talk is critical to building good self esteem and good relationships. Knowing your own feelings, being able to express anger and hurt constructively – these are skills we often don’t learn growing up but need to have for our own growth and for relationships. I see the breakdown of communication as a primary problem in couples, stepfamilies, and friends. I base a lot of therapy work on building these skills individually and in couples.
Most people find it difficult to take the initial step of asking for help. Taking this risk and identifying the changes you want to make in yourself and in how you relate to others is the basic work in therapy. Though change can be daunting, it can also be exciting and very rewarding.
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 30+ years of experience working with individuals and couples. In sessions, I give feedback and usually have suggestions of changes to work on at home between appointments.