Relationship Issues, Self-Esteem & Identity
Our first years of life with our primary caregivers lay important foundations of how we relate to others into adulthood (nature and nurture):
how we were taken care of (or not taken care of)
what environmental pressures were exerted upon us, and
our temperament and genetic material.
We learn who we are, what other people are like, and how to navigate the world.
The challenges we often experience in adolescence and adulthood are rooted in earlier experiences, but need to be tended to in the present in order to create change.
Challenges you might be facing
Communication issues
Difficulty with conflict
Codependency in relationships
‘Losing yourself’ in relationships
Poor self-esteem
Self-sabotage, self-doubt, criticism, imposter syndrome
Working relationally in therapy helps to develop new ways of relating to oneself, others, and the world, including how we think about feel.
Some approaches require thought, analysis, and developing understanding and insight:
recognising dysfunctional patterns in your relationships that you would like to change
looking at beliefs you have developed about yourself and others
Others may require or prefer approaches that work at the level of the body and felt experience.
slowing down and noticing our reactions and responses to people and events
tending to emotions behind relational patterns
Skills and capacities this helps to develop
Communication skills
Self-worth & confidence
Stronger sense of self
Forming new functional patterns of relating
Boundaries, conflict, and assertiveness
New beliefs
Authenticity & presence