Codependency does not equal care. Codependency hurts relationship. Do you feel like your relationship has some unhealthy patterns? I help clients understand their motivations within their relationship and develop effective ways to approach their relationships differently.
Licensed Professional Counselor, MS, LPC, BC-TMH Psychotherapist, Business Consultant, Educator
Codependency is simply a way of approaching relationships that doesn't work. I can teach you effective relationship skills. Contact me to find out how.
Codependency can show up either in relationships with an addict or alcoholic, or in relationships without addiction. I can help you find freedom from managing your partner’s issues or bad behavoirs.
The concept of Co-Dependency was developed as a way of explaining how family members of alcoholics, especially their spouses, became emotionally ill apparently as a result of living with an alcoholic for years.
"Co" is a prefix that means "like" or "with" - the family member becomes sick like and with "the dependent" (the person dependent on a chemical). There are several common problems that often go along with life with an alcoholic or drug abuser, including their unpredictable moods, selfish and irresponsible behavior, angry outbursts which may include verbal or physical abuse, broken promises and commitments, embarrassing public behavior, financial irresponsibility, legal problems, and inability to return love or affection. However, most chemically dependent people have periods when they function well, and this generates the hope that they will stay well, quit or control their chemical use, and become responsible and loving for good.
It can be scary to acknowledge codependency because it often means we need to make changes to our relationships. You probably have good reasons for engaging in codependency. I can help you build a sense of self and security, and learn how to have healthy interdependent relationships.
Codependency is an emotional and behavioral condition that affects an individual’s abilities to have a healthy, mutually satisfying relationship. Because codependency is usually rooted in a person’s childhood, treatment often involves exploration into early childhood issues and their relationship to current destructive behavior patterns. Also, treatment includes education, experiential groups, and individual therapy through which those with codependency can rediscover themselves and identify self-defeating behavior patterns.
Couples counseling gives partners the opportunity to improve communication, strengthen intimacy and deal effectively with conflict. It is important to be each other’s best friend. A strong foundation of friendship protects your relationship from potential future issues of disconnecting from each other, loneliness or isolation.
Joie de Vivre provides compassionate and personalized therapy for couples who want nothing more than to mend and heal their relationship, as well as help with overcoming past struggles and disappointments. With couples counseling, you and your partner will be able to identify present issues in your relationship and discover healthy, productive methods of communication and dealing with them in order to help your relationship flourish.
In our work together, I help you explore the underlying causes of your codependency, develop healthier coping skills, boundaries, and communication strategies, so you can create more fulfilling relationships and lead a more balanced life.
As a former codependent young person, I'm well aware of how this type of belief and behavior system wreaks havoc on our ability to find and maintain healthy relationships. The good news: it's curable with some awareness and the drive to make the necessary changes in how you see yourself in relation to others.