A common reason women attend therapy is to strengthen and nurture their romantic relationships. If you’re wanting to build and/or maintain meaningful and deep connections, therapy for women’s issues is a dedicated space to prioritize your relationships. With a therapist for women in NYC, NY, you can develop greater self-awareness and understanding of your relationship patterns, priorities, and needs. With greater self-understanding, you’ll be better equipped to experience more rewarding and fulfilling relationships.
At the foundation of a healthy and loving romantic relationship is a sense of deep trust and safety. When a person can truly be herself and let her guard down, both intimacy and love are able to flourish. Through therapy for women’s issues in NYC, you’ll learn strategies to promote healthy relationship dynamics while simultaneously showing up as your most authentic self.
Below are four ways to use emotional vulnerability to improve your relationships:
1. Use assertive communication.
Speaking assertively in your relationships involves expressing your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs in a clear, direct, and respectful way. Rather than using passive or aggressive communication, assertiveness helps build trust and mutual understanding. Some tips for practicing assertiveness:
- Use “I statements” as much as you can to let your partner know how you feel. For example, “I feel frustrated when you come home late for dinner. When you come home late, I feel disappointed as I am waiting and looking forward to dinner with you.” As opposed to, “ It’s so rude of you to come home late, you never think of my feelings!” This later statement sounds more accusatory which ultimately puts your partner on the defense.
- Avoid global statements and exaggerated words like “always” or “never”. For example, “You forgot to make us a dinner reservation this weekend.” vs. “You never think to make us a dinner reservation.” When you’re more specific and speak with facts, your partner will be less defensive, allowing for a more open discussion and opportunity to problem solve and validate each other’s feelings.
- Practice as often as you can! Assertiveness is like a muscle, it requires practice over time. Be patient with yourself as you work on this skill. If you struggle with people pleasing and asserting your needs check out my blog on “The Art of Setting Boundaries“!
2. Practice active listening.
Active listening is a technique that involves giving your full undivided attention to your partner. This listening style shows your partner that you are truly present and curious to hear what they have to say. You can improve your active listening by reducing any distractions, such as putting away your phone. The key to active listening is to avoid interrupting and trying to instead focus on listening and understanding your partner’s perspective.
3. Use “The story I’m telling myself” technique.
The famous author and world-renowned researcher Brene Brown shares a powerful strategy for relationships in her book Rising Strong. The “Story I’m telling myself” is a tool for navigating difficult conversations and conflicts in relationships. Essentially, “The story I’m telling myself” is a way of recognizing and examining the narratives we create in our minds about ourselves, our partners, and various situations. These stories are often influenced by our past experiences and beliefs. The next time you are confronted with an issue in your relationship, instead of simply reacting, you can pause and share with your partner the story you are telling yourself in that moment. Instead of jumping to conclusions or assuming the very worst, you can share the story with your partner and allow them to share their experience and perspective. Your partner may likely debunk your original story, and this will ultimately foster more thoughtful and productive conversations.
4. Learn your love language and your partner’s love language.
It’s important to know how you feel most loved and cherished in a relationship. By understanding how both you and your partner express and receive love, you can reduce misunderstandings and instead experience greater joy and connection. To learn more about love languages and what your love language is take the quiz here: https://5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/love-language
Ready to start finding your voice in your relationships?
Are you ready to deepen your romantic connections and find your voice in relationships? Therapy for women’s issues in NYC offers a dedicated space to prioritize your emotional well-being and relationship health. Through compassionate and insightful psychotherapy, you can uncover the patterns that hold you back and develop the skills to build stronger, more fulfilling relationships.
- Schedule a consultation with me here.
- Discover everything women’s therapy has to offer in your first session.
- Learn how to assertively address issues that arise in your relationship with confidence!
Other services I offer as a therapist for women in NYC, NY:
Liz Yarock Psychotherapy offers a range of services to support holistic well-being. From anxiety counseling and life transition therapy to women’s issues therapy, I provide tailored support using evidence-based approaches. I also offer relationship therapy and highly sensitive person therapy. Whatever your needs, I’m here to support you on your journey toward living your most fulfilling and empowered life.
Book a consultation today!
I am happy to offer a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation to help you gain a sense of who I am and my approach to therapy in order to determine if we will work well together.