Consider Family Therapy If You're An Introvert And Your Sibling Is An Extrovert

Family therapy often consists of married couples attending sessions together or perhaps parents and their teenager, but there are many other ways that people can benefit from this type of therapy. Even if you're grown and no longer live together, you may experience difficulties with your sibling that you wish to rectify. It's easy to drift apart as the years pass, but this can be regretful. One rift that you and your sibling may be facing is that you're an introvert and he or she is an extrovert. If you choose to attend counseling together, here are some positive changes that you can make.

Achieving Balance In Conversations

When you and your extrovert sibling converse, there may not be a balance in who does the bulk of the talking. While every conversation doesn't have to be 50/50, you likely want to see a balance close to even in the big picture. When you're an introvert, it's easy for your extrovert sibling to overpower you both in person and on the phone, perhaps speaking so much that you have trouble saying much of anything. Over time, this dynamic can breed resentment that affects your relationship. Your therapy sessions can help to achieve better balance.

Ensuring That You Get A Say

Whenever you and your extrovert sibling get together, a series of small decisions may be made. For example, you might need to decide where to eat or what movie to see. It's common for the extrovert to be vocal about his or her preferences in many situations, and this can leave the introvert rarely feeling as though he or she has a say. Both of you being able to express your wants is integral to a functional relationship, and your family therapist can give you exercises to practice with the goal of achieving this.

Understanding One Another

It can often be difficult for introverts and extroverts to understand each other. For example, you might be annoyed that your sibling talks so much, while he or she might be annoyed that you don't always want to get together. Understanding the perspective that each of you has can strengthen your relationship, and therapy can be a perfect venue for diving into each of your personalities and explaining it to the other. In a few years' time, you may look back at your family therapy sessions and credit them for keeping you and your sibling close.

For more information, contact a company like The A Treatment Center.

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