THERAPY PROGRESS NOTES—SESSION 5
Sydney Cleary and Curtis Lowe, Couples’ Counseling Session
Ellen Dwyer, Psychologist, PsyD
Sydney doubts Curtis’s authenticity in trying to regain her trust. She feels that his attempts are too contrived to be true. She fears they could be manipulative and that once she allows herself to trust him, he’ll betray her again. She’s not ready to risk her emotional safety with him.
Curtis needs to take concrete actions (not just words) to restore his wife’s trust. Sharing his passwords was a positive gesture, but he’ll need to continue to be transparent or Sydney will retreat into her pain and mistrust.
When asked what he values about Sydney, Curtis said: She makes me a better person. This is a very self-centered response. Are the reasons he’s fighting for his marriage coming from a place of love for his partner? Or from his ego?