Couples Counseling
in Hershey, PA Palmyra, PA
When two people share a life together, their needs as a couple can be very different from their needs as individuals—especially as life becomes more complex.
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Relationships are deeply affected by stressors such as grief, caregiver responsibilities, chronic illness, or a terminal diagnosis. These experiences can shake the foundation of even the strongest partnerships, leaving couples feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, or unsure how to support one another.
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Couples counseling offers a space to slow down, understand what each partner is carrying, and rebuild connection with intention. Grounded in compassion, emotional clarity, and couples counseling with Dana helps both partners feel heard and validated.
Couples Counseling:
Chronic Disease Coping and Caregiver Burnout Prevention
When illness enters a relationship, everything changes. Couples often struggle under the weight of caregiving, exhaustion, and shifting roles. Intimacy may fade, communication becomes strained, and both partners can feel isolated—together, yet alone.
Caregiver Burnout
When one partner becomes a caregiver, the relationship dynamic shifts—often dramatically. Caregivers may feel exhausted, resentful, or guilty. The partner receiving care may feel like a burden, powerless, or disconnected from their own identity. Intimacy, emotional closeness, and daily routines can all change.
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Counseling can help couples navigate these new roles, express difficult emotions safely, and create a sense of teamwork rather than isolation. Together, we identify patterns that fuel burnout and build strategies to restore balance, compassion, and mutual support.
Finding the "New Normal"
When conditions like cancer, dementia, Parkinson’s, ALS, or other chronic or terminal illnesses enter your life, the relationship doesn’t stay the same—and neither do the roles you each hold. Many couples describe this transition as trying to build a “new normal” while still grieving the loss of the life they had envisioned.
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The changes are not just medical—they are emotional, relational, and deeply personal.
In couples counseling, we explore how illness is reshaping your partnership and help you both understand what you need now, rather than what life looked like before. We work on building a shared language around hard emotions, navigating practical decisions as a team, and creating moments of connection even in the midst of unpredictability.
Coping with a Terminal Illness
At Beneath the Mango Tree, Dana Hayes provides compassionate support for couples facing terminal illness. With a deep understanding of anticipatory grief, caregiver burnout, and emotional overwhelm, Dana helps partners reconnect, process complex feelings, and find steadiness in the midst of uncertainty.
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You don’t have to carry it all alone—healing can happen, even in heartbreak.