Some conversations are more difficult than others. One of the easier conversations for couples to have is stress-reducing conversations. These are when couples talk to...
Repairs
Dr. John Gottman’s research demonstrates the importance of not attacking or being defensive. This can prevent conflict from occurring in the first place. However, when...
Are We Incompatible?
Eric & Meg got into a big fight over something small when Eric questioned whether he and Meg were compatible. They were having conflict with...
Create Connection
There are three primary ways couples connect with one another: sharing, doing, and being. Sharing can range from talking about one’s day, sharing stressful situations,...
Learning From a Debacle
I hadn’t seen Tim and Maura for a while, but they talked about how much progress they were making. Then Tim brought up a time...
It Takes Two
Rob and Allison were high school sweethearts. Now in their early thirties, they were struggling for quite some time. Allison was spending a lot of...
Missed Opportunity
I was talking with a colleague with whom I share a case (she sees the wife individually) and she talked about her approach to couples...
Being Present
Karl has a demanding job. Even when he’s on vacation, work slips into the vacation. With two young children, his wife Ashley gets irritated when...
Healing Past Wrongs
In our last couples counseling session, Kim shared an incident from many years ago when she told her husband David that she had made him...
Why Are You Rhetorical?
Jan just got back from a week-long conference and found Jeff in the garage. Jeff seemed aggravated and Jan said, “What’s the matter with you?”...