Friendship can be surprisingly hard to get right, even for people who genuinely want close connections. Misunderstandings, relationships that have drifted, difficulty expressing what you need, or a pattern of friendships that never quite reach the depth you're hoping for: these are real struggles, and more common than people tend to admit.
Therapy focused on friendship challenges tends to look at what's actually happening in your specific relationships and what's getting in the way. You might work on how to express your needs and limits more directly, develop empathy and perspective-taking during conflict, or recognize the patterns you bring to friendships that might be causing friction. The practical work, like rehearsing a conversation you've been avoiding or figuring out how to respond when a friend lets you down, is often where things actually start to shift.