Maryland residents choose to seek the services of a therapist for a number of reasons, some of which may involve their marriages. This allows such individuals to discuss their personal problems and concerns with a professional, ideally granting them new perspectives or viewpoints that ultimately lead to positive life changes. In some cases, this process can even lead them to pursue divorce. While therapists typically do not tell their clients to consider ending their marriages, the healing process of therapy leads many to come to this decision naturally.
One therapist described meeting with a woman who felt constantly pressured by her family’s expectations for how she should conduct herself and lead her life. After several sessions, she resolved to start standing up for herself and taking the risks she had always wanted to. The therapist was happy for her positive attitude, but said she felt surprised and guilty when the client informed her she intended to end her 15-year marriage.
The therapist was initially caught off guard by her client’s decision to divorce her husband, but later realized it was a natural part of the woman’s quest to obtain confidence and self-sufficiency. The client reportedly felt stifled by her husband, who did not want her to have an independent voice and had cheated on her several times. She said that she felt assertive and strong at work, only to come home and feel small next to her husband. After enrolling in marriage counseling and giving her relationship with her husband another year to adapt to her life changes, the woman informed her therapist that she was filing for divorce.
Therapists do not intend to disrupt relationships, but they can help their clients’ realize that their marriages are dysfunctional and unhealthy. In some cases, therapy provides a way for unhappily-married individuals to more precisely explain what they dislike about their marriage and give them the push they need to move forward with divorce and start a new life.
Source: Huffington Post, “Why Seeing A Therapist Might Be Dangerous For Your Marriage,” Susan Pease Gadoua, Feb. 2, 2013
