The Doctors welcome marriage and family therapist Dr. Erin Foster to discuss whether marriages can benefit from partners spending time apart. 

Recently, Sarah Jessica Parker opened up about her marriage to Matthew Broderick and the actress credited the success of her 20-year marriage to their busy careers and time spent away from each other.

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Dr. Foster says a strong relationship requires each person to have a good sense of who they are what is important to them and one of the best ways to determine who you truly are is having independence and doing things on your own.

"When you know how to meet your own needs, you can come back to your partner and also meet theirs," she explains.

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But are there any precautions that couples considering spending time apart from each other should consider?

Erin feels that establishing trust and communication is key and not having it creates the risk of opening the door for things the couple might not agree on to occur. To avoid jealousy and resentment she says mutually agreed upon boundaries are needed. She also notes that having a deep understanding of the other person's feelings can help in avoiding problems while spending time away from each other.