The term emotional labor, when applied to relationships, can be about all the things done in an emotional or mental capacity in the relationship. As a couples therapist, it’s something that comes up frequently in sessions but often the client doesn’t have a label for what they are experiencing.

Some examples include:

This becomes an issue in therapy when things feel unbalanced. I hear, “I feel like I’m the only one doing this” or, “I am putting in way more work than you." Often this work goes unnoticed by the other partner because it isn’t physical labor or something one can tangibly see happening. The partner not sharing the load may also minimize........

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