Deciding to end a marriage can be physically, emotionally and financially draining. Although marriage counseling can help save a relationship, some people opt to see a therapist when going through a divorce. Whether you choose individual, family or marriage counseling, a therapist can help you navigate some of the more contentious issues surrounding divorce and help you make a plan for the future.
For someone who already struggles with depression, anxiety or another mental health condition, divorce can be particularly devastating. Marriage counseling and individual therapy can help you learn valuable coping skills that can make the transition easier, keeping you from focusing on the negative or blaming yourself.
Couples therapy, or marriage counseling, can help you end your relationship in a healthy way. As a neutral third party, your couples’ therapist can act as a mediator and help facilitate constructive conversations that allow you to hash things out and prevent animosity from derailing an amicable split. Setting guidelines from the start and having a therapist help you make a plan for finances, living arrangements and parenting time can take a lot of stress off of everyone’s shoulders. Whether it’s formal or informal, mediation can help you resolve issues and save you the time, stress and expense of settling your divorce in court.
Family therapy can help children and parents share their feelings about the divorce and process their emotions in a more productive way. Children often feel confused, guilty and fearful when their parents are divorcing. They may feel a sense of loss and abandonment and be torn about which parent’s “side” they should take. Parents may be so wrapped up in their own feelings that they may overlook how a divorce may be affecting their children. Family therapy gives everyone a chance to express themselves and can serve as a reminder that they will always be a family, just in a different way going forward.
Individual therapy can help you heal and grow and understand the reasons for the divorce. Talking about your feelings and what you expect from a future relationship can lead to surprising revelations about yourself, your own personal growth and what you want and don’t want in a partner. Therapy can also help you process the loss or grief you may be feeling during and after a divorce and help you move on in a healthy way.
Even if you’re separating on good terms, coping with divorce isn’t always easy. It’s important to remember to take good care of yourself. Meditation, exercise and self-care can help you feel more centered, calm and able to handle whatever may come your way. When you need to talk about it, don’t be afraid to reach out to your therapist, a friend or a family member you trust. Isolating yourself can make the situation seem more overwhelming than it really is. Talking it out can release this negative energy and make you see things more clearly and rationally.
Are you considering marriage counseling or individual therapy? For more than 10 years, Kayenta Therapy has helped people resolve their differences and transform their lives through self-growth. Contact a therapist directly to schedule an appointment.
