Codependency

If you are suffering with codependency, you will have a sense that you are not good enough. Other people will appear alright to you while your own sense of self worth will be low. You can easily "put on a show" of feeling fine about yourself, but, backstage at that show you will feel inadequate and unlovable. You are also likely to feel guilty because you are less than perfect. You will want to please people and you will feel like you have no choice about doing so. Saying "No" to someone else will leave you feeling tense, sad and responsible for the feelings of others. When people don't agree with you, you may sense that their opposing thoughts are a criticism of you.

When others have a problem, you may feel guilty if you don't help them out...even if it means giving up a part of yourself in the process.

It is important to you to feel needed. You may keep trying to help and fix other people even when they don't take your advice. You may be bossy when trying to tell other what they should or shouldn't do. Your instructions to others leave you feeling important and needed. You want other people to need and like you. How these other people feel about you becomes much more important than how you feel about yourself. You may experience difficulty identifying how you really feel about any person or situation. You worry about how others judge you; you won't want to make mistakes in case you are judged as a failure.

In counseling, you will be helped to say what you think, express what you feel and ask for what you want. You will learn how to be assertive. I will help you to honor yourself by teaching you how to assert your rights. You will learn how to satisfy yourself.

I will teach you how to explore and identify ways in which you try to take care of others inappropriately. I will show you how to identify you own feelings and needs. I will help you learn how to say "No" while being self reliant and strong.

For more information at any time, please call me at 256-431-5060.