Infidelity

Articles in this category explore what happens when a relationship's central promise is broken, and what it takes to sort through the ensuing damage. These pieces highlight stories of emotional and sexual affairs, online betrayals, betrayal trauma, and long-kept secrets. They examine the myriad reasons clients may be unfaithful, offer language for empowering clients who have been betrayed, and ask important questions about how much to disclose following an affair. Explore these stories and insights for guidance as you help couples decide how to navigate life in the wake of infidelity.

Featured

The Heart of an Affair

A Conversation with Bill Doherty

Getting at the Heart of Affairs

How to Help Clients Examine Ethical Dilemmas
More Articles on Infidelity

Therapist Don-David Lusterman shares insights into working with married couples as they repair after an extramarital affair. Read more

Editor’s Note: This blog is excerpted from a piece that originally appeared in our September/October 1994 issue, Parents Under Siege. Do you think its... Read more

Of course, sexual affairs are red flags for infidelity, but there are common elements that make any outside relationship an infidelity. Sex therapist Tammy... Read more

In a world of new and emerging norms about commitment, intimacy, the right to personal happiness, and open relationships are there also new patterns? Has the... Read more

When we therapists believe a secret's revelation would be dangerous, the client receives a frightening message about themself and the world. Read more

Infidelity expert Shirley Glass discusses how much disclosure is needed for a couple to heal after an affair. Read more

Michele Weiner-Davis learns a surprising lesson when she reevaluates whether certain foundational rules for infidelity recovery really help her clients heal. Read more

What’s the true nature of your feelings for your lover? An honest answer to that question is what a therapist needs in order to help a couple decide how to... Read more

When working with clients who’ve experienced an intimate betrayal, it’s important to empower them to move beyond a victim identity. Read more

Far from being evidence of marital bankruptcy, a woman’s affair can be a way of expressing a desire for a different self and an opportunity to breathe life... Read more

Healing from an extramarital affair is rarely a simple process, especially when embarrassing sexual secrets and incompatibilities are exposed. Read more

My Parisian colleague was shocked to learn that American therapists typically encourage couples not only to confess their affairs, but also to share the... Read more

What happens to couples once our affair recovery work with them is done? Read more

Three therapists explore how to cool down the temperature with couples facing the crisis of infidelity. Read more

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