Online Therapy for Relationship Issues
Helping high-achievers navigate difficult relationships with individual online therapy
Does this sound like one of your relationships?
When your mom calls, you know you have to answer, but you know it’s just going to be another difficult conversation.
You and your partner seem to constantly be arguing and you wonder how you can salvage your relationship.
You have a coworker or boss who has unrealistic expectations and you’re wondering if it is even worth staying in that job.
After decades of marriage, your parents are getting divorced and you’re not sure how to process it as an adult.
You feel you need help navigating other people’s emotions in your relationships, whether professional or personal.
You want to set boundaries in relationships, but your guilt or fear of disappointing others is holding you back.
You want to feel joy in your most important relationships.
I’m Dr. Jenny White, a clinical psychologist
I’m here to help you silence your inner critic.
What are interpersonal relationships?
Interpersonal relationships are the ones we have with other individuals. These relationships can range in closeness, but can all affect the harmony in our daily lives.
Types of Relationship Issues
Friends
Sometimes, we feel closer to our friends than our family. With even those friendships, challenges can still arise.
Typical friend issues include:
Feeling taken advantage of
Having trouble saying “no” or setting boundaries
A mismatch in priorities for how to manage a shared living space
Family
These are often the most challenge relationship to set boundaries. They’re often the longest relationships we have and come with years, even decades, of conflict.
The holidays can be an especially difficult time to deal with family members. Check out this post on Managing Holiday Stress, particularly, the section on Managing Uncomfortable Conversations.
Partner
Intimate partner relationships can be particularly difficult to manage. Maybe you feel like your partner just doesn’t “get it” no matter how many times you have the same conversation. You may keep finding yourself in the same cycles of frustrations over and over again.
Often, exploring your emotions, learning new ways of communicating, and understanding new or different perspectives can shift these repetitive cycles and lead to relief and greater connection within the relationship.
Professional
Relationships in the workplace are not just limited to a coworker or boss. There can be times our “work family” is just as dramatic as our biological family. In fact, you likely spend more time with your colleagues than your family or friends.
A Combination
Sometimes we have to navigate more than one relationship at a time. It can be overwhelming to focus on the needs and expectations of others while juggling other aspects of our lives.
This is where professional assistance from a psychotherapist, like me, can be particularly helpful.
If any of these relationship issues are impacting your life…
What to expect from online therapy for relationship issues with me
Our sessions will last for 50-55 minutes. During that time, you and I will work together to identify key stressors in your relationship and collaborate on how best to address those challenges.
Our sessions are individual, meaning we will meet one-on-one. This method ensures your privacy and your ability to speak openly without fear of offending your loved one.
The clients I work with are typically high-anxiety and stress-sensitive people. By keeping our sessions just between us, you can remove the concern of hurting another person’s feelings during our time together.
How long will it take until my relationship issues are gone?
To be clear, we won’t be “solving” your relationship issues. That’s not a realistic approach when other people’s actions and emotions are out of our control.
Instead, we’ll work on increasing understanding of the core issues while collaborating on ways to interact with others. We’ll practice ways to reduce your automatic response and help you to think and act more clearly.
In this blog post I wrote on people pleasing, I go over a few examples of things I have discussed with clients regarding relationships.
Remember, you and your relationship dynamics are unique. Our individual sessions are tailored to your specific needs, personality, challenges, and goals.
Therapy is a space to explore, learn, and grow.
Is online therapy for relationship issues effective?
In the way we approach your relationships together, absolutely.
During our virtual time working one-on-one together, we focus on you:
Your goals
Your triggers
Your emotions
Your responses
…just like we would in person. We’ve just made it easier to schedule and keep appointments. Your life is already so busy. It’s easier to carve out an hour for therapy than 1.5 - 2 hours with travel time.
We can’t control how other people feel, behave, and react; but, we can control our response to it and how we set and hold our boundaries.
All those strategies are brainstormed and practiced during our virtual time together.
The effectiveness of therapy essentially relies on your commitment and implementation of the skills you learn in our sessions.
Are you ready to take the step towards truly enjoying your relationships?
Location Requirements
I am able to provide telehealth therapy in many states as an authorized PSYPACT therapist. However, I choose to serve clients in the Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania regions. This is the area in which I have spent most of my life and am familiar with the culture and social norms.
More benefits of this feature are highlighted on my Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania location pages.
FAQs
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A 50-55 minute session cost $165. Sessions are paid at the time they occur.
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No, I do not accept insurance. I would be considered an “out-of-network” provider. I can provide you with a Superbill that you can present to your insurance company for reimbursement if you have out of network benefits.
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A superbill is a document you can provide to your insurance company to seek reimbursement. The document has information they’ll need, including a diagnosis, session code, and all of my professional information they require (ex. NPI, address, etc).
Let me know if you need one to be provided.
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There are several reasons why I don’t accept insurance.
First, I feel I can provide better care to my clients when my time is spent working clinically vs. administratively.
Second, I opt to maximize client confidentiality, which can be compromised with insurance companies. When your insurance pays for your treatment, they can demand access to records or require a diagnosis in order to pay for or approve ongoing treatment. This information then becomes part of your medical record.
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Online therapy is completely safe, private, and secure.
During our time together, we will be using a secure video conferencing services that is HIPPA compliant and ensures your privacy.
To ensure your privacy during our sessions, it’s important for you to be in a quiet, private space where you and I can speak freely. Make sure you are mentally present by putting your phone on silent, putting a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door, and consider letting others know you need privacy during that time.
As with any online meeting, make sure you have a reliable internet connection. That way, we are making the most of our time together.
If you are unable to access a private location with reliable internet, you may find in-person therapy to be a better fit. Check out this post about Finding a Therapist who is a good fit for you.
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While one of my focuses is relationship issues, I only offer individual therapy. That means, it’s just you and me during our time together.
While I understand that some people may want to have another person there with them, I view this as a time for you to speak freely without fear of judgment or feeling guilty for your thoughts, struggles, and emotions.
Our sessions are all about you, your struggles, and your goals.
In some cases, family or couples therapy is a better fit for relationship issues. Finding a therapist who specializes in that type of therapy may be more beneficial for you and your situation.
