190 Harwood Avenue S, Ajax, ON L1S 2H6

Relationship Counselling

Do You Feel Lonely Or Disconnected Because Of A Change In Your Life?

Are you a young professional having trouble putting down roots in a new city? Have you tried to create friendships in your new town, but you’re still missing the deep connection you’re looking for? Despite yearning for attachment, is the thought of putting yourself out there to meet new people overwhelming and anxiety-inducing?

Perhaps you are a post-secondary student who has just moved onto campus, and instead of making friends right away, you find yourself spending most evenings alone in your dorm. Maybe this is your first time away from home, and you’re not sure how to meet people who have similar hobbies and interests as you. Or it might be that some of your closest friends have moved on to a different stage of life, and now you’re feeling left behind.

Without A Support System, Even Small Things Can Feel Like An Uphill Battle

If you’re starting school or your first career, you may be experiencing changes that you were unprepared for. For instance, your social life may have taken a backseat as you learn to pivot and adapt to your new situation. Perhaps you didn’t realize how isolated you’ve become, but now that challenges in your new life are surfacing, you wish you had someone to check in with you and care about how you’re doing.

If you’re struggling with feelings of loneliness and isolation, counselling can help you understand what you need from others and how you can build relationships that will last.

Over The Past Few Years, More And More People Have Become Isolated And Lonely

Many people have trouble making connections and creating meaningful relationships. One reason for this is because, as the popularity of social media rose, many of us bought into the illusion that connection through social media or a computer screen was enough to foster worthwhile relationships. The pandemic further isolated everyone, making it even harder to create or maintain a sense of community.

Over time, we’ve also replaced face-to-face discussions with superficial, text-based conversations where tone can be easily misinterpreted. And instead of cultivating intentional, purposeful connections with other people, we build relationships based on inconsistent communication and one-dimensional knowledge of others.

A Culture of Independence Has Led To A Lack of Knowledge About Maintaining Relationships

Our society places an excessive value on self-reliance—so much so that we’ve created a culture where it’s easy to place unrealistic expectations on friendships. People expect their friends to meet all their needs automatically without mutually investing in their relationships. Oftentimes, people assume friendships will remain static, so they don’t account for the shift in relational dynamics as people grow and change.

This means, sometimes, people don’t realize they’re lonely until they look up from their career or the other goals and discover many of their friends have moved into different life stages or that they don’t have as much in common anymore.

If you find yourself isolated and struggling with loneliness, it can be hard to put yourself out there and trust that others won’t disappoint you. At In Time Counselling & Consulting Services, we are here to help you work through any relationship issues you may have and support you in building friendships based on mutual respect and communication.

You Can Learn To Overcome Relationship Problems And Find Meaningful Connections With Counselling

Loneliness can only be overcome within relationships. As you build a relationship with the counsellors from our team, we will be here to help you understand why you are struggling with loneliness while showing you what you can do to build fulfilling friendships.

Therapy gives you a chance to explore unhealthy patterns you may have developed in the past, and it provides you with resources for tackling relationship issues in the here and now. We will also help you establish communication skills to assist you in maintaining personal boundaries. Our job as relationship counselors is to help you develop a deeper understanding of yourself and equip you with effective strategies for meeting new people and making new friends.

What To Expect In Relationship Therapy

In each therapy session, our goal is to foster a safe space where you feel secure enough to share the feelings that are troubling you—and open enough to work on a plan to help you overcome those feelings. We will discuss what has and hasn’t worked relationally in the past, how you can cope with loneliness in the present, and what you need to do to create and maintain better relationships in the future.

Through this process, you will learn how to reduce behavior that has caused problems in the past. You will also discover your internal strengths and resources that will empower you to care for yourself and trust that others can care for you as well.

We Provide Individualized Help For Relationships

We use a variety of methods to encourage growth and support you in reaching your relationship goals. Some of the methods we’re trained in include Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), which teaches you how to form secure bonds with yourself and with others, and Internal Family Systems (IFS), which helps you understand how different parts of you take on various roles that affect your relationship dynamics.

Our team, at In Time Counselling & Consulting Services, is here to guide you through first relationships, transitional stages of life, and everything in between. With our help, you can overcome feelings of isolation and loneliness while simultaneously ensuring your mental and emotional well-being far down the road. If you’re not sure what to do next, reach out so we can help you make meaningful connections and find the sense of belonging and comfort you deserve.

But You May Still Have Questions About Relationship Counselling…

I feel like no one cares about me. How is therapy for my relationship issues supposed to help?

Feeling alone can be difficult. It might seem like therapy won’t help for something like building relationships, but there are many factors that contribute to the feeling of loneliness. Counselling can help you discover why you’ve been disappointed by relationships in the past, how that impacts your actions, and what you can do to find your voice so you can communicate your needs. We know you’re longing for real, meaningful connections, and we’d love to help you find them.

I don’t want to be in therapy forever, so how many sessions will it take to help?

Therapy might seem like a long commitment when your life is already busy. Although everyone’s timeline for healing and growth is different, we can say that progress depends on multiple factors, including how long you take to process and practice strategies, your motivation, and your readiness to change. Therapy is fluid, so as we gain momentum and get to know one another, we can decide how many sessions you might need altogether.

I don't talk about these feelings with anyone, so it feels weird sharing them with a stranger.

It can feel weird to discuss your personal feelings with a stranger—and we will be strangers at first. But it’s our job to make you comfortable and create an environment where you feel safe enough to share your story. To help you get acclimated to the process, we offer a free, informal consultation so you can have a conversation with the therapist you would be working with. If you’re still not sure about therapy after the consultation, we can help you find someone you have a connection with.

You Can Find Fulfillment And Belonging In Your Relationships

Therapy can help you have the confidence to put yourself out there and communicate with new people in order to nurture improved relationships. Contact In Time Counselling & Consulting Services to schedule your free, 15-minute consultation and take a step towards building relationships that fulfill you.