Relationship and Dating Issues

 

Hi, my name is Amalia Miralrío, and I’m a therapist in Detroit specializing in relationship and dating issues.

You may be feeling frustrated with the dating process, tired of having the same fights over and over again in your relationship, or overwhelmed by grief from a breakup or divorce. I understand, and I’m here to help.

I help people heal old relationship wounds and feel a sense of ease in intimate relationships.

If you’re ready to start feeling better, schedule a complimentary consultation with me today.

 

My approach to individual therapy for relationship issues

Humans are wired for connection. It is common to feel anxious and tp have a hard time focusing on other areas of your life when you are having difficulty in your most intimate relationships.

Individual relationship counseling can help you better understand your patterns in relationships. You may be familiar with terms like attachment style or relational trauma, which are commonly used on social media. In the simplest sense, these terms describe the ways we feel in relationships that may not match the situations directly in front of us.

For example, the moments when you want to be able to stop caring but you still find yourself scrolling through your ex’s Instagram. Or if you’re in a relationship, you might have a moment when you feel a pit in your stomach because of something your partner said — even though you know it “shouldn’t” be a big deal.

Individual therapy for relationship issues is a place to sort through all of the moments that don’t make sense at a first glance. It’s a place to make sense of our thoughts and feelings that feel most confusing. 

Together, we listen for reoccurring themes. The themes that continuously show up were typically imprinted on us in childhood and adolescence. They might not be obvious right away, even if you’re a self-reflective and emotionally aware person.

We tune into how your beliefs about yourself and your beliefs about relationships show up in the therapeutic relationship. It is only natural that the same dynamics that show up outside of the therapy room eventually make their way into the therapy room. This is a wonderful thing! It offers us a chance to be curious together about how your underlying beliefs shape the way you experience the world without judgment or criticism. 

There is no one right time to seek therapy.

Part of my work includes being a relationship therapist for singles, and part of my work is individual relationship counseling that might be in tandem with couples work. I also work with clients who are experiencing grief, anger, or confusion after a breakup or divorce. 

Wherever you find yourself in the lifecycle of a relationship, my approach is to go at your pace while always listening for the bigger picture.  

 How Relationship Therapy for Individuals Works

The first step is to schedule a free consultation where we can meet via video and talk about what’s bringing you into therapy at this point in your life.

During our first three sessions, I’ll ask you to share as much as you can about your life. We can begin wherever you like, and I’ll ask follow up questions.

After we’ve met a few times, I’ll be able to share some initial themes I’m hearing and make a recommendation of what I think could best help you.

We will pick consistent times to meet and I will continue supporting your journey, encouraging honest processing, and highlighting themes I’m hearing.

Individual Therapy for Relationship Issues FAQs

+ What is the difference between couples therapy and individual therapy?

In couples therapy, the emphasis is on supporting the relationship. There is typically no confidentiality between partners. This means that you won’t want to share details with the therapist that you wouldn’t want your partner to know. In individual therapy, the focus is on you and you alone. You have complete confidentiality and can talk through issues openly without worrying about saying something that could hurt your partner. Many of my individual clients are also in couples therapy, and the two services can work really well together. I often coordinate with couples therapists to make sure we are supporting each other’s work as best as possible.

+ Can individual therapy help relationships?

Absolutely! There are two main ways that individual therapy can help relationships if you’re partnered. First, it gives you a space to speak openly and honestly about the relationship before communicating with your partner. This can greatly improve the quality of communication in the relationship. People tend to be able to express themselves accurately when they’ve first had a chance to think out loud. Secondly, it can help you identify ways that your past might be showing up in the present. This can help you feel more clear about which issues need to be addressed in the relationship and which issues you need to keep processing outside of the relationship.

+ Can therapy help with dating?

Therapy can be very helpful to the dating process. Therapy can increase confidence in dating and provide a safe space to process the vulnerability that comes with dating. Even for the most confident people, dating can feel really vulnerable. As a therapist, it isn’t my role to give dating advice or tell you how to date, but rather to help you feel more clear on how you want to approach dating. It’s important to me that I support you in unlearning harmful messages about dating and reconnect with your authenticity.

+ Does therapy help heartbreak?

Therapy can help you make meaning of the painful experience of heartbreak. Of course there is no way of erasing the pain, but individual therapy can help you identify what the relationship meant for you and what it means for you to move on. Sometimes clients start searching for a breakup therapist when they start to worry that they’re talking to their friends too much about the breakup. Clients also benefit from having someone to talk to who is removed from the situation and doesn’t know their ex.

Get help from a relationship therapist for singles

You can feel supported as you make sense of yourself in relationships.

You don’t have to continue feeling “crazy” for wanting to text your ex even though you know they hurt you. You don’t have to feel stuck in the same patterns of fighting with your partner over and over again. Individual counseling can help you understand who you are in relationships and help you move towards who you want to be in relationships. 

I’d love to meet and talk about how I can support you. Schedule a free consultation today.