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Made a Mistake?

Made a Relationship Mistake?

Relationship Counseling NJ

Infidelity, Affairs, Cheating

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When a Mistake Causes Suffering

Have you made a huge mistake in your life that’s causing you and another person in a lot of pain? Seems like you may have screwed things up so much that you’re not sure if the relationship will survive?

What should you do now? Maybe you lied and betrayed your spouse and know a sincere apology just won’t be enough. We are human and we all make mistakes. However, some can lead to devastating consequences.

If the relationship its going to heal there are a few things that will help. First of all, A genuine, empathetic apology is important. Admit you made a mistake and ask for forgiveness. Also, you must take responsibility. So if you were thoughtless, selfish, admit it. Your partner may not be ready to hear anything and you must respect the pace he or she needs.

In addition, this is not a one time deal when it comes to repairing broken trust. Healing is going to take time and patience. Even if you are both willing to work on things, progress will take steady, hard work. Over time, reflecting on the understanding prior relationship problems is important. But, not at first.

Repair After a Mistake

Many good people make mistakes. Sometimes you end up doing something you never thought possible. You were never the type of man or woman that would have an affair or betray your spouse. Maybe you judged others harshly thinking it would never happen to you. Then, you realize it can happen to good people – with strong family values.

Most couples need help recovering from such a painful event. If you need help, get in touch.

Contact Maplewoood Counseling

 

Maplewood Counseling
Offering Online & In-person Sessions
169 Maplewood Ave Suite 4
Maplewood, NJ 07040
Call Now (973) 793-1000

Argue All the Time?

 

Argue All the Time?

Couples Counseling | Communication

New Jersey

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Maplewood Counseling
Offering Online & In-person Sessions
169 Maplewood Ave Suite 4
Maplewood, NJ 07040
Call Now (973) 793-1000

 Do you argue all the time?

 
If you argue all the time, it can result in feeling emotionally drained, lonely, and angry.    For that reason, you might feel depressed and hopeless especially if you constantly get stuck in this place.
 
Even more, it can make you grow so far apart that you end up feeling alone and disconnected. Probably, you wonder if  it’s time to split up since you can’t break this pattern.
 

Learning to Listen

 
If you and your spouse are willing and open, you can learn how to connect in healthier ways. It will take listening, compromising, negotiating and getting better at controlling your own negative emotional reactions. On addition, It is important to make it safe enough so you both can express your true feelings and thoughts without fear of verbal insults, interruption, defensiveness and criticism.

Petty Arguments and Trivial Complaints

Petty arguments are usually about something deeper. Its never the small stuff that really matters and most couples know it.. So, understanding the feelings that get triggered under the arguments will help you both do a better job changing to create healthier communication.   Most importantly, knowing how to heal will include listening, understanding, accepting, supporting and forgiving one another to heal.
 
If you need help because you argue all the time, get in touch.

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Being There During Hard Times

Being There During Hard Times

NJ Counseling for Challenging Times

Couples, Individuals, Families

Essex County New Jersey

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Maplewood Counseling
Offering Online & In-person Sessions
169 Maplewood Ave Suite 4
Maplewood, NJ 07040
Call Now (973) 793-1000

Being There – How to Support Your Loved One

Wondering the best ways to be there for a family member that is going through a hard time? Maybe you’re not clear on how what to do if a spouse, partner or child needs support. For that reason, there are some helpful things you can do to help a loved one going through a hard time.

Maybe you think it is best to try to “fix” their emotional or physical pain. Seems like some advice or suggestions about what will help is what he or she needs. Certainly, it’s not easy to when someone you love is suffering. Even more, it feels pretty awful to feel so powerless when a family member struggles.

Best Ways to Be There

First of all, one of the best ways to be there is to be present and listen. So, allowing your loved one to talk and share without interruption will help. Secondly, you can ask what if there is anything you can do rather than offer advice. Because most people just want someone to listen and make it safe to share.

In contrast, how can you really be there when someone is struggling and not open to help. After all, some men, women and children do not want to talk. Whether he or she is suffering with depression, anxiety, some people are not open to help. Therefore, you have to know what to do with your own fear, feeling of powerlessness and emotional pain. Certainly, these situations are incredibly painful.

Getting Help for Your Own Feelings and Fear

There is something that will help deal with fear, worrying, judgment and struggle with acceptance of your circumstance and what your loved one is dealing with. Mindfulness is a very effective way of working with all of the thing that you can’t control and find more peace even in the most difficult circumstance. Furthermore, developing a better way of dealing with your own emotional and physical pain will help you manage all of life’s challenges.

If you want help developing the skill of mindfulness, get in touch.

Steps for An Unfaithful Spouse

Unfaithful Spouse
Help with Infidelity

Counseling After An Affair

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Maplewood Counseling
Offering Online & In-person Sessions
169 Maplewood Ave Suite 4
Maplewood, NJ 07040
Call Now (973) 793-1000

Unfaithful Spouse in Need of Help?

Are you an unfaithful spouse or partner that wants to save your marriage or relationship? This can be very painful and many some relationships may not recover. Therefore, it is very important to understand the steps you can take and things to avoid if you want to help your partner heal over time.

Most importantly, the affair must stop for any healing to begin. You must stop seeing your lover immediately and if you need help doing this, seek professional help. If you continue the affair there can not be any authentic healing.

What can an Unfaithful Spouse do?

Answer any questions you wife, husband or partner may have. Because, it is not an easy process and will take time. Some couples want a safe place such as a therapy office to help navigate the emotions that will get triggered by answering the questions in an honest way. Besides, some questions may not help the relationship heal so there are certain ways to approach these conversation.

Listen and validate, validate, validate. Listening and showing empathy is very important. Because it will not help your marriage if you defend yourself. You want to listen to your partner talk about his or her anger, sadness, disbelief, and any other feelings. Most importantly creating a very safe space for these emotions to be expressed, heard and validated.

An example of validation and this has to be done each and every time your partner brings up the affair. if your relationship can heal, it will be a process and it will take a tremendous amount of patience.

“I can’t believe you cheated. I am so angry”

Validation
“I’m sorry, you’re right. I screwed up and I’m very sorry. What do you need from me? Is there anything I can do?’

“What do you mean? This is your fault, you betrayed me and lied”

Validation
“I did and I’m so sorry. You have every right to be angry and hurt. I don’t know what else to say, but I do want us to work through this together”

How long does it take?

Don’t expect your spouse to forgive you right away. Besides=, If you can recover, forgiveness will take a long time. The grief from the affair is going to come up for a long time for most people. Therefore, You want to take responsibility and be there by listening to your partner take about his or her feelings and make sure you don’t convey you are tired of hearing it that will lead to greater disconnect than you are both already experiencing. Most importantly, Be there, listen and show empathy and understanding as long as it takes.

Continue to check in and ask your spouse or partner what they need, how they are doing, what they need from you. Initially you might hear ” what do you mean? you did this” and want space from you. Therefore, understand that as well and yeah out for professional help if you are both struggling to heal.

If you are an unfaithful spouse in need help get in touch.

Contact Maplewoood Counseling

 

  

Relationship Skills for Couples

Relationship Skills for Couples

NJ Couples Counseling

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Maplewood Counseling
Offering Online & In-person Sessions
169 Maplewood Ave Suite 4
Maplewood, NJ 07040
Call Now (973) 793-1000

Relationship Skills for Couples

Important Relationship Skills – The Gift of Listening

There are some very important relationship skills that will help couples communicate in more effective ways to create a more meaningful and satisfying connection.

Listening is a rare skill and one of the most important gifts you can give another person. Therefore, If you are not good at listening too one another, it can cause painful disconnect over time. Most importantly, if you both are open and willing, there are some things you can do now that will help you improve your relationship and do what you spouse or partner really wants instead of what you think he or she wants.

Do you have a tendency to give advice and try to fix things when your spouse or partner is sad, upset or angry? Do you just want to vent about your concerns and have your partner just be there and listen? Because, when he or she tries to “fix” your situation rather than listen, you know how bad that really feels. When your partner or spouse or even child is struggling, do you feel like you have to fix something?

The problem with giving advice

Most people do not want advice – it is different if they are actually asking for advice. Therefore, listening – really listening without trying to fix anything is what most people need and want. The minute you decide the person needs your advice can be extremely painful for that person and lead to feeling misunderstood or feeling alone.

The Gift of listening

Listening – true listening is a rare skill and one of the greatest gift you can give another human being. When a person comes to you with any type of struggle, the best way to be there is to listen. To actually make it safe enough for them to express a range of emotions or concerns without interruption and advice, is what will make a huge difference in any relationship. Listening and allowing space for the person to really express their struggle with an empathetic, attentive ear ( rather than trying to solve a problem) is all you need to do for one another.

If you need help developing one of the most important relationship skills – listening instead of advising, get in touch. You may mean well by advising, but if you really want to be there, you can learn what the other person really wants from you.

Contact Maplewoood Counseling

 

Can We Reconcile?

Can We Reconcile?

Marriage Counseling | Couples Therapy

Essex County New Jersey

Contact Maplewoood Counseling

Maplewood Counseling
Offering Online & In-person Sessions
169 Maplewood Ave Suite 4
Maplewood, NJ 07040
Call Now (973) 793-1000

Can We Reconcile ?

Can we reconcile and get back together? So, are you wondering if you and your partner or spouse can get back together after splitting up?  Maybe you have you been living apart for months or even longer? For that reason, you want to explore what wasn’t working before to see if there’s anything you can do to make the relationship work?
Certainly, there are many couples that need help revisiting the idea reconciliation. As a result they seek counseling. Hence, if both people are open and willing to examine what happened and why, it is possible to make the relationship work even after you’ve divorced.
 Does this sound familiar?
  • You separated because a painful event such as infidelity.
  • You split up due to long standing disconnect and unhappiness
  • You made mistakes and understand more about you part in your problems
  • You want to forgive and are having trouble trusting your spouse or partner

Can We Reconcile and Work Things Out?

Seems like talking about past experiences is causing anger, resentment, hurt, and whatever else might still make it difficult to trust things can be different.  Therefore, an experienced therapist can help you discuss in a safe place.

As a result, marriage or couple therapy can help sort through and assess what you both would need to do to get back together. Because It would take understanding where each person is at now, In addition, it is important to assess how open and willing you are to work on past anger, hurt, resentment and mistakes. Finally, it takes understanding your own part in your marital or relationship problems. Besides that, understanding triggers, disrespect, criticism, stonewalling, defensiveness, contempt and any other patterns that led to your split.

Can we reconcile ? Get in touch to see if it is possible to repair your relationship and change patterns that led to your split.

Contact Maplewoood Counseling