The coronavirus pandemic has been tough on everyone. But it's creating distinct problems for partners stuck together in quarantine, says couples therapist and bestselling author Esther Perel. Here, she explains the two states she often sees in couples and families, how the pandemic is changing them, and the one thing therapists can do right now that will help these clients the most.

As Perel mentions, our clients are facing an unprecedented existential crisis right now. What they need, she explains, is for therapists to support them, respect and empathize with their struggles, and above all, normalize what they're going through.

"What do you do as a therapist in a time like this?" Esther writes in her recent Networker article. "In many ways, our work as therapists is the same as always... You make possible the conversation that enables couples to talk and laugh and cry, and helps them feel they really get each other."