Hey fellow travelers, I'm Laurie Gottlieb. I'm the author of Maybe You Should Talk To

Someone, and I write the dear therapist advice column for the Atlantic.

And I'm Guy Winch. I'm the author of Emotional First Aid, and I write the dear guy advice

column for Ted. And this is dear therapist.

Each week, we invite you into a session so you can learn more about yourself by hearing

how we help other people come to understand themselves better and make changes in their

lives. So sit back and welcome to today's session. This week, a young woman tries to break

her pattern of seeking out relationships with older, unavailable men.

I was dependent on him because of my dad and his illness and him dying. And so I came

to rely on him and I told him how much I cared about him and how he like grew to love

him, I guess I think I said.

First a quick note, dear therapist is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute

medical or psychological advice and is not a substitute for professional healthcare

advice diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician, mental health

professional or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding

a medical or psychological condition. By submitting a letter, you are agreeing to let

I Heart Media use it in part-worn full and we may edit it for length and clarity. In

the session, you'll hear all names have been changed for the privacy of our fellow travelers.

Hi, Guy.

Hi, Laurie. So what do we have in our mailbox today?

We have a letter about someone who is stuck in a relationship pattern that isn't serving

her and it goes like this.

...