Codependency is one of the most common unhealthy relationship patterns, and it is often the hardest to recognize from the inside because it feels like devotion. The codependent person organizes their life around their partner's needs, emotions, and problems. They derive their sense of purpose and identity from being needed. When the relationship is stable, the codependent person feels secure. When the partner pulls away or threatens to leave, the codependent person experiences a crisis that goes beyond normal relationship distress. The fear of losing the relationship is also a fear of losing the self, because the self has been constructed around the role of caretaker.
Dr. David Steinbok works with adults from the Delray Beach, Florida area who are caught in codependent dynamics. His psychodynamic approach examines how the codependent pattern developed, what it serves emotionally, and how the therapeutic relationship can provide an experience of connection that does not depend on one person managing the other. An unhealthy relationship patterns therapist near Delray Beach can help distinguish between genuine care for a partner and the compulsive caretaking that codependency produces.
