Are Michelle and James Still Together? ‘Couples Therapy’ is a unique reality TV series on Showtime, as the name suggests, narrating married couples from different types of society, who wish to repair their troubled relationship. In documentary format, it follows the renowned psychologist Dr. Orna Guralnik as she helps these couples roam through difficult areas in their marriages and works to find long-term solutions to improve communication and reconnection.
While the show has introduced viewers to a number of interested participants since its inception in 2019, one couple who impressed everyone, Michelle and James, featured in the episode ‘The Covid Special’.
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Are Michelle and James Still Together?
“Her voice resonates… like nails on a board,” says James, expressing his feelings for his wife, Michelle, on the program. She, in turn, said, “I cannot stand him!” This is how a couple described their frustration with each other in Dr. Guralnik during their video call treatment session. Despite their different backgrounds, Michelle and James had been dating and married for quite a few years. However, things changed with the birth of their 3-year-old son when they appeared on the show in 2020.
Since the closure of Covid-19, the husband and wife were trapped in the four walls of their apartment building with their son, and their stories, which began before being locked up alone, began to rage. As their conflict began to disrupt the rearing of their son, they approached Dr. Guralnik for guidance. The epidemic has had a profound effect on everyone’s mental health, and couples with particular problems have been forced to deal with it on a regular basis due to exit restrictions.
Michelle, a working professional, had to switch the work-from-home during the closure. As a primary caregiver, things got better for her as she was able to devote more time to her son. “I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders,” she told Dr. Guralnik. James, however, was not as enthusiastic about this change in lifestyle as he was about his own. In addition, he was assigned to care for their young child while Michelle was working and could not handle the responsibility alone.
Moreover, the most important reason for the conflict in the case of James and Michelle was their differing political views. The two were well aware of each other’s political tendencies from the pre-marital era, and they were never really getting into an argument. But when it came to their son and what they wanted to do, their differing views about the current political climate began to divide them. Matters came to a head with the increasing incidence of police violence against African American communities and the Black Lives Matter during the epidemic.
Since Michelle is an African American and James works in law, it is admittedly that she began to feel scared and hesitant to tell him about her fears about their son’s safety. In addition, she felt that he did not understand how he felt and that his job seemed to obscure his judgment. This is also a problem for Dr. Guralnik, as she wishes to be better equipped to handle the concerns of Michelle and other African American clients. Thus, she consulted with African-American psychiatrist Dr. Kirkland Vaughans to help understand Michelle’s point of view.
As James and Michelle’s medical journey neared its end, they were able to reduce their level of conflict and find a better way to communicate. Under the direction of Dr. Guralnik, James realized that his wife had her own schedule and work, and it was not her responsibility to care for their son alone, simply because he was at home. Therefore, he had to continue devoting himself to his care and breaking his obligations.
In addition, James began to understand Michelle’s point of view about the political climate around them and began to work toward creating a safer environment. Michelle, on the other hand, acknowledged that she needed to improve her confidence in her mate and to learn how to express her needs, as well as listen to him better. Apart from this, the couple is advised to work to separate their political views from the decisions they have made for their son; after all, you are very important to them.
From what we can say, James and Michelle chose to keep their personal lives away from society; hence, there seems to be a lack of information about where they are now. Still, when we consider their eagerness to put aside their differences for the sake of their son and their love for each other, we can only hope that they will be able to resolve their problems and find happiness together.
Related – Couples Therapy: Are Lara and Trey Still Together?
