Therapy for Communication & Boundaries

The idea of setting boundaries and communication is loved by some, and by others not so much - it can be cringeworthy for some, meanwhile others pride themselves on saying no.

Regardless of who you are or where you are at in life, something that we all share in common is a deep rooted desire to be heard and understood by those around us.

Even though we spend lots of time interacting with others in our daily lives, boundary setting and communication skills are challenging and require practice. Setting boundaries is all about being able to communicate to yourself and others what you are and are not okay with, and protecting the core values that are near and dear to you.

Building those skills allows you to honour your needs, have more engaging interactions with others and be respectfully assertive.

Healthy Boundaries

Build rapport and establish more engaging relationships

Understand who you are and what you want

Say no to yourself or others as needed
Engage in active listening and connect more deeply with people
Recognize your personal needs and clearly express them
Communicate respectfully and assertively
Skillfully navigate difficult conversations

Unhealthy Boundaries

Feeling drained and resentful of yourself and/or others

Taking on more than you can or want to

Letting others dictate your mood
Over-sharing or under-sharing
Feeling too guilty to say no
Going against your personal values to avoid conflict or to please others
Expecting others to anticipate your needs
Being defensive and reactive

If you find yourself ticking the boxes for unhealthy boundaries, that’s A-okay, in fact most of us start there. It is possible to learn new ways to communicate and express yourself.

Nowadays, it’s really not that hard for things to get lost in translation. For starters, in order to express yourself fully, you need to have clarity around what is really going on for you and what you want to share both verbally and physiologically.

Choosing your words and expressing yourself clearly is another area where we can slip up. Finally, actively hearing what is being conveyed to you isn’t so straight forward. When things do get lost in translation, this can be problematic and can lead to conflict that needs to be dealt with.

Without clearly communicated boundaries, you can drift away from your values and can even ignore your wants and needs. Rather, clearly defined and respected boundaries allow you and those around you to know where you stand with regard to each other and to engage with mutual respect.

How Therapy for Communication & Boundaries Can Help

The end goal is to understand what makes sense for you, and to communicate that from a place of respect and authenticity so that you are honouring your own boundaries while also nurturing the relationships in your life.

Just like any other skill, healthy communication skills can be learned and developed. You can learn how to openly receive what is being communicated to you and consequently, to convey your thoughts and feelings accordingly.

In order to develop boundaries and communicate them effectively, it is important to get clear on what that would uniquely look like for you. In therapy, I will help you figure out what your wants and needs are so that you can construct your own boundaries with yourself and others.

Through our work together, you will develop communication skills to express yourself assertively rather than aggressively. Socially, those skills will help you resolve and manage conflict to maintain and nurture interpersonal relationships while also evaluating who you choose to let in.