This Is What You Should Expect from Therapy with Friends

Family CounselingFebruary 16, 2021

Relationship therapy usually revolves around couples, marriages, and families. However, there is one more relationship that is equally fulfilling and lasting. Yes, we are talking about friendships! People often confide in their buddies and share their life’s secrets with them, thus sharing an excellent rapport with their close mates. Therefore, it is pretty normal for them to find happiness in their friends.

However, things take a wrong turn when such chemistry starts deteriorating. A relationship that is one of the pillars of your life suddenly starts shaking. What should you do in such a situation? Perhaps availing therapy along with your friend can be the way to push things back on track. Scroll down to know more details.

Why Is It Beneficial?

Individual and family therapy helps in mental healing, resolving several conflicts, achieving objectives of growth, and improving communication skills. On the same lines, consulting a qualified therapist can offer several benefits in therapy for friends. First, it helps in preventing corrosion in the relationship. As you all know, friendship, like every other relationship, needs maintenance from time to time. According to a study, friendships tend to get weaker as years go by, until and unless people keep in touch with each other. There remains a need to communicate regularly or spend quality time together.

Therapy would allow you and your friend to speak your heart out and share your expectations. It’s the job of a therapist to make you feel comfortable. Also, you might need to allow your friend to voice their opinions. They might not be pleasant to hear for you at times, but your task will be to listen. In the process, you develop good listening skills which people often lack. A study conducted in 2013 revealed that disclosure of certain facts and incidents helps create closeness between two people.

What Does This Therapy Address?

Long-lasting friendships too have their highs and lows. If you value your friendship, you have to work towards keeping it intact. You will have to address the conflicts and start adapting to the changing circumstances in life. In case a conflict crops up in your friendship, don’t allow it to fester. Instead, take the help of an impartial listener who can lend a helping hand, and restore the lost peace between you two. A sense of competition might eat away into the camaraderie you share with your friend. Competitions, if not healthy, can be detrimental to friendship.

Unhealthy interactions, e.g., toxicity, one-sidedness, and codependency, are not healthy at all. You might feel lonely and perhaps anxious as well. Distance can also be a factor. Often people take up jobs and become too focused on their respective careers.

Thus, it becomes hard for them to find time for their loved ones. As people grow old, family and professional commitments tend to steal the maximum amount of their time and energy. As a result, they hardly have any time left for their friends. This is where therapy for friends can help. To keep the closeness in your friendship intact, you will need the services of a therapist.

How Does This work?

After a detailed discussion and understanding of your history, a therapist might want to know why you sought therapy. They will try to understand the conflict and suggest resolution techniques that you can try.

They will also help you improve your communication skills to express your needs in a better way. The therapist might also work hand-in-hand with you to readily handle any other conflicts that can crop up in the future.

How Can You Find A Counselor?

You can consult a therapist who has ample experience in family and marriage counseling, and specialize in relationship building! A therapist who is quite experienced in conflict resolution can also be a good choice. A virtual therapist will come in handy if you and your friend don’t live in the same city. One interaction with them would tell you whether you are consulting the right person or not.

If you wish to set things straight between you and your friend, consult an impartial therapist. They can help you identify the areas where the problems lie. The therapist can teach you new and improved ways of communication.