What Therapy Taught Me About Organizational Conflict
- Magda Occhicone, LMFT
- May 28
- 2 min read
By Magda Occhicone
Conflict is inevitable—at home, at work, and everywhere humans show up with needs, personalities, and power dynamics. As a licensed therapist, I’ve spent over a decade helping individuals and families repair ruptures and rebuild trust. What’s striking is how often the same patterns I saw in the therapy room also show up inside organizations.
🧠 1. Conflict Is Never Just About the Surface Issue
In therapy, when a couple fights about the dishes, it’s not really about the dishes. It’s about feeling unappreciated, unheard, or disconnected. Similarly, in the workplace, arguments about roles, responsibilities, or email tone are often fueled by deeper emotions—resentment, confusion, or a lack of psychological safety.
Therapy taught me to look beneath the behavior. In organizational consulting, I help teams pause and ask: What’s really going on here?
💬 2. Communication Is the First—and Often the Weakest—Line of Defense
Most conflict spirals when people don’t know how to express themselves clearly or respectfully. Avoidance, blame, sarcasm, or shutting down are all protection strategies, but they block connection and resolution.
In therapy, we practice naming needs without shame. In organizations, I teach leaders and teams how to give and receive feedback in ways that preserve dignity, even during disagreement.
🤝 3. Repair Builds Resilience
One of the most powerful things therapy taught me is that repair is more important than perfection. In families and teams alike, missteps are normal. But knowing how to take responsibility, offer a sincere repair, and move forward together—that’s what creates trust over time.
In the workplace, repair looks like:
Owning a communication misfire
Clarifying assumptions
Rebuilding alignment after conflict
Organizations that normalize repair build cultures of psychological safety and long-term collaboration.
🪞 4. Systems Shape Behavior
Therapists are trained to see people in context. We ask: What dynamics are at play in this family system? The same applies in companies. I’ve learned to look at how hierarchy, communication channels, stress culture, and leadership modeling all contribute to recurring tension. Rather than blaming individuals, I help organizations adjust the system so people can thrive within it.
💡 In Summary
Conflict isn’t a sign that something is broken. It’s a sign that something matters. And if approached thoughtfully, conflict can be a catalyst for clarity, connection, and growth.
What therapy taught me about organizational conflict is this: people want to feel seen, heard, and valued—at home and at work. When we honor the human dynamics behind workplace tension, we don’t just resolve issues. We build stronger, healthier teams.
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