Couples Counseling and Coping with a Depressed Partner
Depression can wreak havoc on a relationship if the two partners aren’t prepared and don’t know how to communicate with one another. Often the partner who isn’t suffering from depression will take the other’s actions personally, feeling as if he or she had done something wrong. Couples counseling is a great resource to help couples learn more about this illness and how to work with, not against, it.
According to Suzanne:
When Andy gets depressed, he withdraws completely. And for a while, I was sure it was something I said or did. Then I’d ask him over and over, constantly trying to pull him out of his shell. Then he’d get angry, really angry. Then I would feel hurt…really hurt. Its taken me many years to not take it so personally. Now when he’s like that, well, I give him some space. But more than just him, I learn to take care of my own needs more. I go out with friends, take a yoga class, whatever. And now, he’s more likely to want to talk to me, if he’s feeling down. He doesn’t feel so pressured. But had it not been for couples counseling, I think we would have divorced by now. It was just too painful, thinking somehow I was the source.
Couples counseling doesn’t cure depression per se. Its a way in which couples can learn to adapt to a trying situation and develop relevant coping skills. A couples counselor can also refer the partner suffering from depression to a psychiatrist or a physician for possible drug therapies.
Related Posts
- Couples Counseling – Learning to Speak to a Depressed Partner
- Coming to Terms with your Partner Through Couples Counseling
- Using your Body to Express yourself More Effectively with your Partner
- More Communication Skills for you and your Partner
- How to Broach Therapy with your Partner
