Relationship Counseling

“Conflict is your relationship trying to grow.”

 -Harville Hendrix, Creator of Imago Relationship Therapy

“To be human is to need others, and this is no flaw or weakness.”

 Sue Johnson, Creator of Emotionally Focused Therapy

Do you feel like your relationship is at a standstill? Are you and your partner stuck in the same argument loop every night? Do you feel like you and your partner are drifting away? Do you desire more intimacy with others? Or, do you struggle in one or maybe more than one important relationship in your life to feel seen, heard, and to connect? Relationships give meaning to our lives and we struggle when they aren’t working. Our Athens marriage counselors and relationship therapists have the skills to help you improve your relationships today.

Trauma

Trauma can make the world feel unsafe. Whether one has experienced a car accident, a traumatic death of a loved one, life threatening event, violence, war,  or abuse, this can lead to post traumatic stress. Other experiences such as being frontline emergency workers and responders or emotional traumas in relationships, sudden or chronic illness, religious/spiritual trauma or other traumatic experiences can also bring great distress that is hard to manage on your own. 

Trauma is a mind/body experience that affects our physical, emotional, and social well-being and may lead to problematic behaviors such as avoidance and anger outbursts. Trauma experiences can lead to poor self-care such as self-medicating with alcohol, drugs, and other substances. CAWB's experienced Athens trauma therapists and metro Atlanta trauma therapists can help you improve your quality of life today.

Anxiety

Do you miss out on what’s happening around you because you are worrying about what might happen next?  Constant images and thoughts about things we can’t get out of our minds keep us from enjoying what’s right in front us.  Anxiety can leave us with sweaty palms. It can steal our breath. It can make us grind our teeth at night and pick our skin or pull our hair out.  We might imagine something happening to our loved ones, or we might go over and over our anxious scenes from the past in which we replay our most socially awkward moments.  Anxiety in its many forms can leave us paralyzed or isolated, and it can lead to our worsening overall physical and social well-being.  

All of these anxiety experiences including worry, obsessions, nervousness, tension, rapid breathing, sweating, difficulty focusing, trembling, panic or dread, social isolation or just a sense of something being wrong much of the time can be part of an anxiety disorder, and there is help for that.

Grief and Loss

“What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes part of us.”

-Helen Keller

Grief and loss are difficult experiences in a culture that does not always support open discussion. Well-meaning friends and loved ones may not necessarily understand or welcome our expression of the powerful emotions the loss of a loved one can bring, such as anger, fear, deep sadness and despair. Many who are grieving experience loneliness and isolation.

Grief affects us physically, emotionally, and socially. Grief situations can be quite variable, whether a sudden or expected loss of a loved one after a long illness, loss of loved one to suicide or accidental death, and sometimes grief is referred to as “complicated” when sudden or traumatic.

Life Transitions

Change can be welcome or unwelcome, but it is a constant in life. We support you in using life transitions as a time to grow and change for the better. We go through transitions as we go through developmental stages throughout our lives. Some are seen as very positive changes like starting college, graduating and starting a career, starting graduate school, getting married or having children, giving birth for women, or retirement after a successful work life, though even these “positive” transitions can bring stress and challenges.

Other transitions are expected to be more challenging like divorce and separation, loss of a job/career changes, an empty nest for parents, midlife changes/crisis, menopause for women, spiritual/faith crisis, chronic or terminal illness, aging. 

Depression

Is depression clouding your world, and making you question your worth? Do you find yourself in tears without any apparent reason, losing interest in activities you once enjoyed? Depression can cast a dark shadow, bringing feelings of isolation, physical discomfort, and a persistent sense of loneliness. At times, it may go hand in hand with anxiety, creating a cycle of unease and lethargy.

Depression encompasses a range of experiences and can manifest as major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, or other subtypes. Psychotherapy treatments, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), offer effective approaches to alleviate depressive symptoms. These evidence-based therapies help address negative thought patterns, improve coping strategies, enhance social support, and promote emotional well-being.

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