Author of Healing & Wholeness: Complementary
and Alternative Therapies for Mental Health
INDIVIDUAL THERAPY       COUPLES       ANXIETY       DEPRESSION       TRAUMA       HOW  I  PRACTICE       BIOGRAPHY


Relationship Therapy


Couples Counseling and Relationship Therapy Relationship therapy is a form of psychotherapy that refers to using therapy to improve relationship issues. In most cases, relationship therapy is performed by a trained and licensed therapist who helps resolve conflicts and issues within relationships.

Types of relationships can include couples, families, coworkers, or any other groups who may need professional assistance in learning how to communicate effectively, handle disagreements without escalation, or deal with any personal underlying issues that cause distress within the relationship. Relationship therapy is usually short-term with clear goals in mind to have accomplished by the end.

A relationship therapist meets with patients and discusses problems each of the individuals may be having that affect the relationship in question, such as infidelity, substance abuse, or even just simple personality conflicts.

There are many life circumstances in which relationship therapy may be particularly beneficial. For example, a significant life-changing event, such as the first birth of a child or a death in the family, can cause tension in a relationship between spouses, parents, children, and friends. Additionally, relationship therapy doesn't necessarily have to be used under serious circumstances. It can also be utilized for improving the dynamics of a relationship to improve teamwork or simply give advice on how they can learn to communicate and get along better.

During a relationship therapy session, a therapist typically will have clients discuss which issues are the most problematic to the relationship and then offer solutions for them to enact. Usually, a therapist will assign exercises as homework to the clients for them to complete after each session, such as verbally explaining to one another how certain behaviors make them feel rather than letting it lead to yelling arguments. Exercises differ greatly depending on the specific techniques a therapist feels are most effective in his or her practice.

Some of the difficulties that friends and family encounter are similar to the issues that couples have. These can include:

  • Distrust
  • Anger
  • Resentment
  • Dependency
  • Co-Dependency
  • Communication Problems
These common relationship issues can have serious effects on your physical and emotional health--but they can often be resolved. The problem for most people isn't that they've experience trouble, it's that they've gone on for far too long without asking for help, even though that help is just an email or phone call away.

To get an better understanding of how relationship therapy works for different types of relationships, click on one of the links below:




Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life! .
~ Albert Einstein
The bonds of matrimony are like any other bonds - they mature slowly. .
~ Peter De Vries
A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be. .
~ Douglas Pagels

Dr. Randi Fredricks, Ph.D., LMFT ♦ San Jose Psychotherapist, Psychotherapy and Couples Counseling
1174 Lincoln Ave Suite 6 ♦ San Jose, California, 95125

San Jose Therapist Main Phone

    Contact Dr. Fredricks                                 Schedule Appointment


Randi Fredricks is a Psychotherapist providing Psychotherapy and Couples Counseling, and Licensed as a Marriage Family Therapist MFC 47803. Dr. Fredricks is Executive Director of Randi Fredricks, Marriage and Family Therapist, Inc. © 1991 - All rights reserved. The recommendations on this website do not constitute professional advice, substitute for professional treatment, or establish a therapeutic relationship. Dr. Randi Fredricks, Ph.D. of San Jose Psychotherapist, Psychotherapy and Couples Counseling is a psychotherapist in San Jose, California providing counseling, psychotherapy, and therapy for individuals and couples with relationship issues, anxiety, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, relationship issues, self-esteem, addiction, co-dependency, trauma, abuse, eating disorders, and managing grief and loss. If you search for counseling San Jose, psychotherapy San Jose, psychotherapist San Jose, therapist San Jose, counselor San Jose, couples therapist San Jose, couples counselor San Jose, marriage therapy San Jose, life coach San Jose, career coach San Jose, executive coach San Jose, you can find San Jose Counseling and San Jose Psychotherapy and Dr. Fredricks in San Jose and the Silicon Valley as the leading provider of such services. In addition to serving San Jose, Dr. Fredricks serves Campbell, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Milpitas, Mountain View, Monte Sereno, Cupertino, Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, Felton, Sunnyvale, Morgan Hill, Fremont, Los Altos, and Gilroy, California.