Relationship Issues, Infidelity, and Betrayal Trauma Therapy Edmonton
Relationships Can Survive Infidelity. With the Right Support.
Specialized psychotherapy for relationship difficulties, infidelity, betrayal trauma, and interpersonal challenges in Edmonton and online. CDMH treats both individuals and couples navigating complex relational wounds.
Understanding Relationship Issues and Betrayal Trauma
Relationship difficulties can take many forms, including recurring conflict, communication breakdowns, emotional distance, trust violations, or the devastating pain of infidelity and betrayal.
Betrayal trauma
Betrayal trauma, the particular wound caused by a trusted partner’s deception or infidelity, can produce symptoms similar to PTSD, including intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance, shame, and profound grief.
These experiences do not mean a relationship cannot heal, but they often require skilled, specialized support to navigate.
Common Relationship Difficulties and Signs That Therapy Could Help
Persistent conflict: Criticism, or contempt in the relationship
Communication breakdowns feeling unheard, dismissed, or misunderstood
Emotional distance, disconnection, or loss of intimacy
Discovery of infidelity: Emotional or physical
Intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance, or emotional flooding following betrayal
Difficulty trusting a partner after lying or deception
Conflicting values, needs, or expectations about the relationship
Repeated cycle of rupture and repair without lasting change
Relationship patterns that mirror early attachment wounds
Relationship Therapy Near Me Edmonton - Infidelity and Betrayal Recovery
Evidence-Based Treatment at CDMH
CDMH therapists work with individuals and couples navigating relationship difficulties and betrayal trauma using attachment-informed, psychodynamic, and evidence-based approaches. Treatment addresses both the practical and the emotional dimensions of relational rupture, including the deeper attachment patterns that contribute to both.
ISTDP
ISTDP focuses on addressing unhelpful ways of relating (e.g. using unconscious defences and anxiety to deal with mixed feelings) that limit the extent to which an individual can experience closeness in relationships. Ultimately, as defences and anxiety are addressed, individuals are able to work through underlying relational conflicts, develop healthier ways of coping with feelings, and access greater emotional closeness and intimacy with themselves and others.
Emotionally Focused Couples and Family Therapy (EFCT/EFFT)
A relationship-focused approach that helps to understand the emotions and patterns underlying conflict, improve communication, and build stronger, more secure connections with people who matter to you.
CBT
Helps to identify and shift unhelpful thoughts, beliefs, and behavioural patterns that contribute to distress in relationships, while incorporating strategies for communicating and managing emotions.
IFS
Understanding how different ‘parts’ of self contribute to relational dynamics, including how these parts may become activated by conflict, betrayal, or relationship wounds.
Also at CDMH
Trauma-informed care for betrayal trauma and infidelity recovery
Individual therapy for partners healing from relational wounds
Why Patients in Edmonton Choose CDMH
Evidence-based care, focused on depth and resolution, not symptom management
Team of 9 skilled clinicians with diverse, specialized training
Flagship ISTDP approach with proven outcomes for complex conditions
Interdisciplinary collaboration: clinicians consult and communicate
In-person (Edmonton) and virtual options across Alberta
Founded by an Edmonton Top 40 Under 40 (2025) Registered Psychologist
Fees guided by the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta (PAA) schedule
Relationship Counselling Edmonton
CDMH Addresses the Emotional Root of Relational Wounds
Book a free 15-minute phone consultation to speak with one of our helpful clinicians today.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is it possible to recover from infidelity?
Research shows that many relationships do survive and even strengthen following infidelity, with the right support and genuine commitment from both partners. Recovery requires working through the betrayal, rebuilding trust, understanding what contributed to the affair, and developing a more honest and connected relationship moving forward. CDMH supports both individual and couples healing.
What is betrayal trauma?
Betrayal trauma refers to the particular psychological wound caused by being betrayed by someone who is depended upon for safety or attachment. Infidelity, lying, emotional abuse, or other violations by a trusted partner can produce symptoms resembling PTSD, including intrusive thoughts, emotional reactivity, avoidance, and a shattered sense of reality.
Should I come to therapy individually or as a couple after infidelity?
This depends on your situation and goals. Individual therapy can help each partner process their experience independently. Couples therapy works on the relationship dynamic together. Many people find it helpful to do both. CDMH can support both formats.
Can someone cause relationship problems unconsciously?
Frequently, yes. Many of the patterns that create conflict in adult relationships have roots in early attachment experiences, including the ways we learned to get our needs met, manage fear of abandonment or rejection, or protect ourselves from emotional pain. CDMH’s psychodynamic approach helps clients understand and change these unconscious relational patterns.
Does CDMH offer therapy for couples where one partner doesn't want to attend?
Yes. Individual therapy can be very effective for one partner even when the other is not ready to engage. Working on one’s own patterns, communication, and emotional responses can significantly shift the dynamics of a relationship even when only one person is in therapy.
Can relationship issues cause physical symptoms?
Yes. Chronic relational stress, grief, anger, or loneliness can manifest in a range of physical symptoms including fatigue, sleep difficulties, digestive problems, and somatic pain. CDMH’s psychosomatic expertise is especially relevant for clients where relational pain is expressed in the body.