Therapy can help couples with a wide range of issues, from communication difficulties and perceived unfairness in responsibilities, the impact of dissatisfaction with job or life, to addictive or destructive behaviors, affairs, or relational hopelessness. Whatever the problems, they are addressed both within the immediate relationship and, when it is appropriate, by looking at the families of origin of each partner. Understanding the emotional components of their own family systems allows the couple partners to have compassion for themselves and for each other, and provides them the self-knowledge that can lead to individuation and relational health. The therapist's goal is to offer compassionate guidance to both partners as their work pursues areas of fairness, giving and receiving, constructive entitlement, and cultural understanding. Through these means, Contextual Therapy offers couples the possibility of attending to issues at a root level, and of consequent long-term life change.