'You're the problem!": a clinical look at conflict in couples therapy


Published: December 19, 2023
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Today, couples are increasingly turning to therapists for help in dealing with situations that they struggle to recognize and manage on their own, and in which they find themselves reiterating dysfunctional relationship patterns and behaviors. This phenomenon is embedded within a profound social change that has taken place in recent decades, which has allowed them to overcome the idea that it is necessary to stay together at all costs to save 'appearances' while being in a relationship that is a source of suffering. Among the issues that couples bring to the attention of clinicians, one of the most frequent is that of conflict, which often leads to a vicious cycle of 'victim-blaming' in which partners are inside mutual recriminations and accusations. [...]


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