Emotional Codependency: Is it Time for Couples Counseling?

This course was created for anyone interested in learning about emotional codependency. The words "emotional codependency" get thrown around a lot. There are codependent couples, codependent caretakers, codependent coworkers, and codependent companions.

Codependency can affect a spouse, a parent, a friend, a sibling or a co-worker of a person struggling with alcohol or drug dependence. Originally codependent was a word used to describe partners in substance abuse, persons living with, or in a relationship with an addicted person. These similar patterns have also been seen in people in relationships with mentally ill individuals. However, the term has since broadened to describe any codependent person from any dysfunctional family.

But what does codependent actually mean — and is it really all that bad? This course aims to serve as an introduction to codependency to help the student learn more about what codependency is, how it presents itself in relationships, and things people can do to help themselves or others dealing with codependent relationships.