As I was helping a couple process a negative interaction, the husband said he could work on his delivery and his reaction. He said he...
07.052026May 4, 2026
It’s Not What You Say; It’s How You Say It
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Communication, Respect, Responses
It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it. A couple in their early thirties was having this discussion. They referred to “what” as...
29.042026January 14, 2026
Do it Differently
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Accountability, Behavior Change, Growth Mindset
I recently started working with a couple in their seventies who were having significant conflict. After reading about successful couples, the wife said, “I can...
22.042026January 14, 2026
Keep Small Things Small
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Escalation, Parenting, Recurring Patterns
I was working with a couple in their early forties when the husband seemed annoyed that we were dealing with small issues in couples counseling....
15.042026January 14, 2026
Benefit of the Doubt
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Accountability, Criticism, Trust
The husband of a couple I see wants his wife to give him the benefit of the doubt. The husband has good intentions and doesn’t...
08.042026January 14, 2026
Offloading
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Division of Labor, Fairness, Teamwork
I am currently working with several couples in which the wives feel they are doing a majority of the household tasks. Chores don’t need to...
01.042026January 14, 2026
No Place for Guilt
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Communication Skills, Guilt, Manipulation
Guilt doesn’t often show up in couples counseling, and couples using guilt to parent their children is infrequent. I’m more likely to hear from couples...
25.032026January 14, 2026
What I Meant to Say
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Accountability, Communication Skills, Repairs
When the husband of a couple I work with misspeaks, he tries to convince his wife of his good intentions. This approach doesn’t work for...
18.032026January 14, 2026
Try That Again
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Communication Skills, Recurring Patterns, Repairs
Joe and Donna have been married for three decades, and they had a repeating pattern of reacting to each other. Now that they were implementing...
11.032026January 14, 2026
Change Expectations to Wishes
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Communication Skills, Emotional Expression, Expectations
Expectations can be problematic in relationships. They typically consist of thoughts of how a partner should behave. If a partner’s behavior doesn’t align with expectations,...