Hope and Happiness Are Not Far Away - Divorce Counseling Can Help
At Foundations Counseling a vast percentage of our clients are individuals or couples that come in to see us because they are getting divorced or have recently been divorced and need help navigating what is new and most often painful terrain.
Even the most amicable divorces can be painful. Both parties may want the separation, and there may be a good reason for their breakup, and yet it's never easy. Divorce is one of the most stressful and painful life events a person can experience. The grief that comes with the dissolution of a relationship that once meant EVERYTHING to you is intense. There is anger, sadness, loneliness, feelings of failure, and a very real mourning for the hopes and dreams you once had for the marriage and your future.
Divorce turns a person's life upside down. Questions with no answers plague your mind and weigh heavily on your heart. From the practical concerns:
- How am I going to pay the bills now?
- How am going to raise my kids by myself?
- Do I have to move?
- Who gets the cats and the dog?
- How am I going to pay for the lawyer?
- To the emotional questions:
- Why wasn't I able to make it work?
- What did I do wrong?
- Am I incapable of having a healthy relationship?
- Will I ever love again?
- How am I going to do this alone?
- Will I ever be happy again?
- What will people think of me?
- Am I a failure?
- Who am I now?
There may even be psychological and physical symptoms to manage. Disruptions in sleep and eating are common, as is depression, anxiety, and trouble focusing on everyday tasks.
Of course, you know you'll get over it. You wait. Some days are better than others and feel a bit brighter. Some days are excruciating. And, of course, if there are children involved things are even MORE complicated. Communication between the divorcing couple regarding their children is typically strained.
The good news is that a skilled counselor can help you through this troubling time and help you chart a path to divorce recovery, providing assistance with all phases of the divorce process, such as:
- Deciding to separate
- Understanding and navigating the legal process, including knowing what your choices are
- Developing child custody plans
- Recovering, repairing, and refocusing after divorce
The divorce recovery process will enable you to move from simply coping and surviving to leading a life in which you feel empowered, fulfilled, independent, and engaged in relationships that are enriching and loving. An important role that we play as therapists is to help our clients get “unstuck” so that they can realize their potential.
Our approach recognizes that an individual who is going through a divorce can experience sadness, self-blame, anxiety, shame, guilt, rage, and a variety of other painful emotions which leave them feeling overwhelmed. Our goal as divorce recovery therapists is not to help our clients simply suppress or distract themselves from their pain, but to help them work through these feelings so that they can feel free, whole, and in control of their lives.
We can also assist you in coping with the effects of divorce on children. It is always best for parents to work out their issues with other adults, rather than with their children. Our individual and child counseling is designed to help folks develop tools that foster both self-acceptance and healthy self-esteem. These tools are essential to children healing from the stressful and often traumatic events that are frequently a component of the breakup of a family.
If you or someone you know would benefit from therapy for divorce recovery, please contact Foundations Counseling in Fort Collins, Loveland, and Windsor to arrange a free consultation.
