Dr. Joel Kuppersmith in Huntington, New York has more than 30 years of experience in private practice. Dr. Kuppersmith offers Long Island marriage therapy and other forms of psychotherapy .
Dr. Kuppersmith’s range of services includes individual, marital & family therapy. He is a highly regarded psychologist who is referred to by physicians and mental health providers. He has presented papers to the American Psychological Association and to the Brookhaven National Laboratories.
Dr. Joel Kuppersmith is a caring and experienced therapist who has been providing psychological services and psychoanalytic therapy to the residents of Huntington, NY. He is a distinguished adjunct professor of psychology at Adelphi University where he continues to teach about the values of individual and family counseling.
Services Include:
- Individual/Marital Counseling
- Treatment of Adult Children of Alcoholics
- Psychoanalysis
- Psychological Consultation
- Short Term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Associations:
- American Psychological Association
- New York State Psychological Association
- National Register of Health Service Psychologists
Long Island Marriage Therapy
Relationships make us human. We strive on a variety of levels for companionship and intimacy with a life partner. Inevitably, over time, conflicts arise which can intensify and interfere with the stability of the marriage. It is critical to recognize the nature and extent of these issues in order to assess whether they may continue to negatively impact the relationship. When the couple feels the need for professional assistance, couple & marital psychotherapy may be helpful.
The purpose and scope of treatment for the couple is to be determined during an initial consultation. I generally work with the couple on the relational issue which often underlies the presenting problem. This is not meant to minimize the conflict which brings the couple into treatment. I often find the couple will improve their level of relating and communicating with each other with continued couple therapy following the resolution of the presenting conflict.
Trust, in one form or another, is usually a fundamental issue when a couple enters marriage counseling or marital therapy. There may be current behaviors which contribute to these concerns or there may be less obvious relational trust issues which may exist below the surface and are largely unconscious but profoundly affects the level of relational trust. Both levels of mistrust need to be addressed in marriage counseling or couple therapy with a mental health professional.
There are marriages which may require individual psychotherapy for one or both spouses. If there is evidence of substance abuse, addiction, betrayal, or any behavior which could represent a marital rupture, I customarily refer to a colleague as it is, in my professional opinion, too complex a therapeutic task to work effectively with individuals while working with the marriage/couple unit. For couple therapy to be successful, the dyad must be treated as a separate entity. This does not by any means negate the importance of the two individuals. In fact, the exploration and enhanced awareness of the individual through personal psychotherapy will only improve the overall functioning of a fundamentally healthy relationship.
Couple and marital therapy can provide a qualitative positive change in the nature and experience of each person in the marriage. Although discord in the relationship initially brings a couple into therapy, the opportunities exist to improve the overall functioning of the marital unit.
Signs that you need Marriage Therapy
Relationships are complex and difficult. Sometimes you need maintenance to help keep it healthy. Marriage therapy is one of the best ways to work on your relationship with your partner while also evolving yourself. Long Island Marriage Therapy can help pinpoint the signs that you and your partner require therapy. Here are some of the following:
- Being indifferent to the relationship’s needs: This can mean multiple things, such as not caring when the other is upset, not wanting to spend time together, rolling over issues, and not having your voice heard.
- All forms of communication are negative: It is fantastic to show passion in your relationship. However, too much can be out of control and can have you and your partner struggling to get along because every conversation morphs into an argument. This can lead to you being overly defensive and sensitive to more simple forms of communication.
- Lies and keeps secrets: This is a big one. Keeping a secret from your spouse can be detrimental to a marriage. Of course, there is room for little white lies; those are acceptable at times. However, if you find yourself keeping a big secret to yourself and not telling your partner, trust is a big issue in the relationship. A relationship without trust cannot last.
Recognize The Signs
Those are the most common signs that a marriage needs counseling. But there can be more. The often forgotten intimacy aspect of the relationship can be overlooked at times. All couples go through phases where intimacy is not at the level it once was in the marriage, which is normal. It is not a good sign when you struggle to be intimate at all. Healthy sex and physical life is an important cog in a happy marriage and sometimes needs a little bit of help in counseling.
Long Island Marriage Therapy
If you find yourself thinking that your significant other is constantly in the wrong in your arguments, chances are you view them as the bad guy in the relationship. You need to remember that you and your spouse are a team and have to face challenges together, not separate. This can especially happen if you find yourselves engaging in the same argument, time, and time again. Often it comes down to a common denominator, and that is respect. Marriage counseling on Long Island can help you determine which relationship problems are solvable and which ones keep perpetuating. Often these issues stem from emotional baggage in either previous relationships or relationships while growing up. Understanding, communication, and humor are wonderful ways for you and your partner to get your respective points across while still maintaining a level of respect. If you and your partner have been experiencing some of the issues previously stated, then we recommended Long Island Marriage Therapy.
Effects That Arguing Has on Children
Children are the most impressional beings on the planet. So many events that happen during a child’s life have an impact on their adult life. Their ability to absorb through beautiful in and of itself can be very hard on them if they witness their parents’ discord. Children pay close attention to their parent’s emotions, so when parents exhibit destructive behavior, it can severely impact their children.
It is important how the conflict is expressed and resolved. When children see their parents resolve issues in front of them, it can help them grow up to be better off. Here are some of the destructive habits parents should avoid when in the presence of their children.
- Verbal aggression, such as name-calling, insults, and threats of leaving.
- Physical aggression such as hitting and pushing
- Silent aggression such as withdrawing, sulking, and avoidance
- Passive-aggressive behavior such as giving in to something that may look like a solution but is not
Long Island Marriage Therapy can help if you have found yourself in one of these scenarios. Specialists with years of experience can help families who are experiencing conflict and help children suffering from anxiety and hopelessness due to conflict within the household.
Talk To Your Child
Children do not always verbalize what is bothering them, so you should be on the lookout for behavior that exhibits how your son or daughter is feeling. Some things to be on the lookout for include:
- Aggressive behavior is exhibited at school and or in the house.
- Sleep disturbances and health problems such as headaches and stomachaches and symptoms of colds
- Inability to pay attention. This can create a learning problem while at school.
- Trouble forming healthy, balanced relationships.
- Impacted relationships with siblings
Children as young as six months old can register their parents’ distress. When the parents create a tough environment, the children can feel it even without words. Studies have found that children can have an unregulated level of cortisol, a hormone created from stress. The study discovered that children who grew up in poorly functioning households are more likely to either have high cortisol levels or had abnormally low levels and blunted. These differences in levels can lead to a litany of child problems as they grow up into adulthood.
Children who came from a stressful environment are more likely to take part in the following. Drug dependency, physical/ emotional abuse towards future partners, and poor coping mechanisms.
Kids’ abilities to assess conflict analysts are much higher than what parents give them credit for. They detect emotion is much more refined than what parents might guess. Kids can tell when the problem that has caused the fight has been resolved and just not made out to be for the child’s benefit. Though this is very tough on the child, having to work out the problem behind closed doors and get a real resolution will not go unnoticed.
If your child has been experiencing conflict in the household, then consider Long Island Marriage Therapy with Joel Kuppersmith. Arguing with your partner is never easy and it makes things even more difficult when it begins to effect your children. Please don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Kuppersmith with questions.
How can Marriage Therapy Help my Relationship?
Marriage therapy can help immensely when both partners are committed to the relationship. Marriage therapy helps couples of all types recognize the problems in their marriage and resolve and work on conflicts. The process of marriage therapy can help you and your partner make more mindful decisions and how the two of you can go about rebuilding and even strengthening your relationship.
You can use marriage counseling to help with a lot of issues that may be plaguing your marriage. These include:
- Communication breakdown
- Sexual difficulties
- How to properly raise children
- Substance abuse
- Anger problems
- Infidelity
Working with marriage therapy on Long Island opens you up to a new world of not only possibilities in your marriage but also in your individual lives. Skills you will acquire and build upon in marriage counseling include open communication, problem-solving, and proper communication regarding differences.
What To Expect From Long Island Marriage Therapy
Your treatment plan will depend on your specific situation, but counseling sessions are typically relatively short, with only a few sessions needed. Others may need more sessions, depending on the extent of problems in the relationship.
Couples, after years of marriage, often forget what drove them to one another. When you’ve been with somebody for so long, you’ve built a narrative, memories, and a history that you cannot have with anyone else. Though some relationships reach an organic end, fighting and putting in the work to recognize your partner can drastically improve your relationship and even your life.
It is critical to recognize the nature and extent of your relationship’s issues. The purpose of marriage therapy on Long Island is to work with the couple on the relational issues which often underlie a presenting problem. Often seen once the original problem is resolved, couples often see improvement in their overall relationship by relating and communicating.
Marriage counseling will help one of the fundamental pillars of a relationship. Trust. Trust is of the big issues couples face when going to therapy. Your levels of trust will be discussed in your sessions and will help improve it with time.
There may be couples therapy that requires both of you together or as individuals. Certain issues such as substance abuse may be assessed by someone else as the task to tackle addiction, and marriage counseling may be too tall. If you’re an individual currently going through this problem, then you can rest assured knowing you can get the individual help you need as well as your marriage. Being treated for a substance abuse problem can help both yourself and the marriage.
Contact Us For Long Island Marriage Therapy
Suppose you have been experiencing problems in your marriage and want to go for therapy. Then contact us today and receive Long Island Marriage Therapy. Couples therapy can have great benefits for not only your relationship, but your individual mental health as well. Contact our office if you have any questions for us.