“There is love in holding and there is love in letting go.” ―Elizabeth Berg, The Year of Pleasures
Romantic relationships can be very difficult to sustain over time. This leads some couples to separate as they contemplate how to move forward.
When couples don’t want to officially get divorced or break up but have significant unresolved issues that are causing distress and pain in the relationship, some choose to separate or go “on a break.” Common reasons for separation (and eventual divorce, in the case of married couples) include infidelity, domestic violence, perceived differences in values, communication difficulties, parenting disagreements, and financial struggles (Hawins, Willoughby, & Doherty, 2012; Scott et al., 2014).
The goal of a separation is usually to take some time to process the issue apart because efforts to resolve the issue together have not been effective, often resulting in fighting, emotional........