Marriage Counseling Can Help When One Partner Avoids Conflict

Couples often feel disconnected in their marriage – this can be a sign of a partner trying to avoid conflict – and this often prevents the opportunity for healing, but marriage counseling with Terri Clinton Dichiser can help with reconciliation.

When a partner is conflict avoidant, they withdraw from the relationship as a defensive measure to reduce the risk of rejection, accountability, criticism, or exposure. This is a symptom of extreme feelings of inadequacy and fear of rejection. Terri uses Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) in marriage counseling to help couples reconnect with one another when one partner avoids conflict. Terri uses therapy and marriage counseling to help couples recognize the patterns they have established in their relationship and offers tools and strategies to break those patterns.

EFT research shows that more than 70% of couples turned their relationship around, from distressed – no matter how distressed – to happy in 15-20 sessions, and more than 90% of couples “significantly improved.”

Avoidance is a symptom of extreme feelings of inadequacy and fear of rejection. A certain amount of avoidance behavior is common in almost everyone and is dependent on the situation. For example, it is normal to be shy around a group of strangers. Avoidance behavior becomes dysfunctional when it significantly deteriorates a person’s quality of life, or the quality of life of those close to them, especially in a marriage. This is when marriage counseling with Terri can work.

Some examples of avoidance in a marriage might be: Walking away or refusing to talk in a disagreement. “We can address this later” and later does not come.  If your partner expresses concern that you have a problem with anger, drinking, shopping, screen time, etc. telling them that they just need to stop talking about it.  Saying “we don’t need a therapist, we can solve our own problems”. EFT marriage counseling is based on therapy with your spouse in the safe environment of Terri’s office to help you create a haven of safety and strength in your marriage. Marriage based on a connection with your spouse that makes you stronger as an individual and in your marriage.

If you are in a relationship with a person who practices avoidance, you may feel frustrated at their irrational behavior. You may feel the pressure to choose between caring for the person who is behaving in an avoidant way and your desire for healthy social interaction. Terri ‘s passion is your relationship and believes in the effectiveness of EFT and the benefits it will offer with marriage counseling.

For more information or to make an appointment with Terri at Take Charge, Inc. in Overland Park, Kansas, call (913) 239-8255 or schedule an appointment on her website. For more information about EFT, visit http://iceeft.com/.