BREAK-UP THERAPY

Separation made easy?

- MADISON BOGISCH

When most people consider heading to therapy with their partner, it can be a last-ditch attempt to save a relationship. But what if getting professional help to end your romance could be just as beneficial?

Break-up therapy, while not a conventional concept, offers couples the opportunity to reflect on the relationship constructively – just think of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s conscious uncoupling.

“It is also a safe space to invite each partner to reflect on their personal contribution to what occurred,” says Sydneybased couples therapist Amanda Hallam.

“This is not with the goal to find blame, but instead to gain insight into ourselves and how we show up in the relationship and express our need for closeness.”

WHAT IS BREAK-UP THERAPY? 

Relationships are a source of happiness and stability for many of us, so it’s unsurprising that with the breakdown of a relationship comes a whole lot of grief.

Hallam notes that when we experience a split, it can be easier to take our grief and package it into a bundle of anger and bitterness. Break-up therapy can help us cope with these emotions.