North Star Conversations Transcript: Jason Price on How Couples Therapy Helps You Both Feel Seen
Jason Price, LMFT, reflects on the common experience of feeling ganged up on in couples therapy—and why that can be a sign it’s working. He explores how both partners often long to feel validated, and how therapy supports that mutual recognition.
Brandon Gimbel (00:00)
Something that I've begun saying to patients as I'm encouraging them to revisit couples therapy is the patient I'm seeing will say, "well, yeah, but I felt ganged up on. I felt like the therapist was more aligned with my spouse." And I'll say, "well, know couples therapy is working when you both feel that way."
Jason Price (00:15)
That's right, yes. You know, when you go to couples therapy you want to be validated, the other person is causing the problems. It's a lot easier. In a couple, both people are so hungry for something, whether it's validation, whether it's closeness, whatever it might be. And when it's not happening, it can feel really crushing for people. There's that sense of emptiness, of do I matter? Do you love me anymore? And so I think what people crave in therapy is to be validated around that. We can work toward moving closer to understanding those needs and then trying to fulfill them in a healthy way.