Dr. Carolyn Alroy, PSYD

Closely related to family therapy, couples therapy is a type of counseling that seeks to help couples improve their relationship. A therapist may teach each partner in the relationship specific skills, such as managing or expressing their emotions, conflict resolution, communication skills, and problem solving. Both people in the couple need to be committed to learning new skills themselves as well as putting effort into supporting the relationship. The typical goals of couples therapy are to decrease conflict, unhappiness, and resentment, as well as increase communication, intimacy, and connection.

Couples therapy may be offered privately, at a university, or in a group practice. It is usually short-term therapy, lasting a few weeks until the participants have learned new skills and have the ability to repair their relationship. Its effectiveness depends on the willingness of both participants to commit to therapy and make the relationship a priority. For many couples it can be extremely helpful.

Each family member can be affected by an issue in an individual and unique way, typically depending on age, maturity, and involvement. This means that family issues are often inequitable, with one or more family members bearing a disproportionate weight of the problem. A frequent example is parental divorce. While both parents may appreciate the immediate relief, divorce can rapidly threaten a developing child's sense of stability and self-confidence. Similarly, a mother who is subject to domestic abuse may conceal the issue in order to shield her children from her distress. In some cases, family issues are generational; a father may cause residual guilt or disagreements from his childhood to carry forward to his own son. While each family's experience is unique, common family issues can include:

• Financial disputes
• Divorce and separation
• Abuse and violence
• Narcissistic caretaker(s)
• Death
• Infidelity and relationship issues
• Sibling rivalry
• Religious and cultural conflicts
• Lifestyle disagreements
• Severe physical illness
• Mental health issues
• Neglect
• Retirement and older adulthood
• Unsafe or unstable household environment

Some family issues are inevitable – such as retirement and minor lifestyle disagreements – while others can be unexpected and dramatic. Unsafe household environments, abuse, and neglect can lead to severe trauma and intervention by social services or law enforcement.

Most common family issues can be addressed through therapy with one or more family members. Family therapy involves sessions led by a licensed mental health therapist. These sessions often include family discussion, resolution strategies, and other activities to promote family harmony. Another form of treatment for family issues is couples counseling, in which a couples counselor can help spouses communicate and employ problem-solving techniques to improve the strength of their relationship. For children, specialized child therapy can help children and adolescents manage and overcome family issues with age-appropriate methods.

Some people find individual therapy or counseling beneficial in resolving family issues, especially for those who are unable to attend family therapy with other family members. Therapists may encourage the creation of family boundaries. At an extreme, therapy may cause an adult to come to the conclusion that communication with a narcissistic parent must stop in order to preserve mental health and wellbeing.

These problems and others can make a workplace seem toxic. For example, a worker may be propositioned with "quid pro quo" harassment, when a superior seeks sexual favors in exchange for a job benefit. Beyond being highly inappropriate, this sexual harassment can cause the targeted employee to suffer from damaged self-esteem, emotional distress, and other mental health problems. Different workplace issues, like low salary or dangerous work conditions, can threaten a worker's financial and even physical health.

One of the most common forms of workplace issues is bullying or abuse from coworkers. It can occur in a number of situations, from high performers facing threats from jealous coworkers, to a worker receiving unreasonable requests from a supervisor. Workers may be too fearful to confront work abusers and complaints to HR departments and supervisors can be unfruitful or even detrimental, leading to incidents going unreported.

Mental health therapy can mitigate the negative emotions and behaviors arising from workplace issues. Therapists may listen to people's workplace issues and provide advice for how to navigate a number of work-related problems. Online counseling can be particularly helpful in the modern workplace. Direct access to a therapist throughout the day can help alleviate recurring pressure and anxiety arising from one's job. In some cases, therapists may encourage some to seek other job prospects and opportunities.