Support Through Divorce

Divorce can be extremely difficult. It’s emotionally exhausting. It’s financially stressful, and so much more. The process of divorce can take a toll on the people involved, but therapy can be a beneficial resource during this tough time. Whether you want to visit a therapist individually or you and your divorcing partner want to work together through the divorce to make the transition less painful, the Lansing Counseling team is here for you. In this blog, you can learn more about the effects of divorce and the benefits of therapy during this life transition.

The Effects of Divorce

Divorce will impact almost every aspect of your life. Even when divorce is the right thing, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. Some of the many ways that divorce impacts the people involved include:

• Friendships & family – many friends and family members are shared between married couples. It can be difficult to navigate who “gets” these relationships in a divorce. This can increase feelings of loneliness and isolation following divorce.
• Financials – going from two incomes to one can be a big adjustment. You may need to downsize or give up some of the little extras that were possible with shared incomes. This can be even more complicated if only one partner works or one partner earns significantly more than the other.
• Housing – in most cases, married couples share a home, so divorce means one or both parties will need to move.
• Loneliness – going from being in a couple to being single can feel very lonely. It’s important to make plans with other friends and loved ones and practice self-care to lessen feelings of loneliness and isolation.
• Emotional struggles – following the dissolution of a relationship, people are likely to experience depression, anxiety, grief, guilt, anger, stress, and other strong or overwhelming emotions. This can make the divorce transition even more difficult.

In addition to the way divorce impacts the couple, it also effects children. Divorce can be very difficult and confusing for kids of all ages (even adult children). Make sure to be honest with your children and answer any questions clearly.

Risk Factors that May Lead to Divorce

Any marriage can end. No one needs to do anything wrong. Sometimes, things just don’t work out. It’s unfortunate, but it happens. In fact, it happens to somewhere between 40% and 50% of married couples in the U.S. Even though divorce is relatively common and can happen for a variety of reasons, there are some factors that increase risk that a relationship will end in divorce, including:

• Lack of compatibility – whether the couple got married too young, their priorities changed, or they just weren’t a good fit from the beginning, lack of compatibility can be a relationship killer in the long run.
• Infidelity or deception – whether there’s an physical affair, emotional affair, or lack of honesty, betrayals of this type can be difficult to recover from.
• Inequality – when one partner or the other feels burdened with the bulk of the work of sustaining the marriage and family or feels powerless, the relationship may be headed for divorce.
• Poor communication – failing to communicate honestly and openly is a huge contributing factor to the vast majority of divorces.
• Finances – unfortunately, feeling financially unstable can lead to divorce for many couples.
• Abuse – emotional, physical, spiritual, financial, and other types of abuse will almost always lead to the end of a marriage.
• Life struggles – when one or both partners struggle with addiction, depression, anger management, or other issues, it can be difficult to sustain a healthy, satisfying relationship.

How Therapy Helps

Therapy can offer a benefit at any stage of divorce. Whether you’re still together and deciding whether or not divorce is the right option or you’re rebuilding a life as a single person, therapy can be beneficial to you. If you’re interested in learning more about individual or couples counseling during divorce, we hope you’ll reach out to our team of knowledgeable therapists at Lansing Counseling. Getting started with us is simple. You can call (517) 333-1499, email [email protected], or complete our online request form.