Robert dreaded when Diane said, “We need to talk.” He knew the conversation was likely to escalate. She criticized him, he then defended himself, and...
08.032016March 10, 2016
Resolved
Stephanie loved her uncle Jerry. When he unexpectedly died, she was quite distraught. When she told her husband Jake, he hugged her; but the hug...
01.032016January 3, 2016
Opening to Feedback
Mike would do anything for his wife Candace and could be quite accommodating, but he also had a subtle manner of getting his way, insisting...
23.022016January 3, 2016
Mars and Venus
The best selling hard-cover nonfiction book of all time is Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus by John Gray, Ph.D. This reflects people’s...
16.022016January 3, 2016
Listen, Support, and Validate
Sue was emotional these days. Her father’s memory was beginning to fail him and she was feeling distressed. When she began to share her upset...
09.022016January 3, 2016
Liberace Glasses
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Relationship CounselingTags Communication, Curious, Escalation, Self-Conscious
Bruce and Cindy were vacationing in Palm Springs and walked into an eyeglass store. Bruce saw a pair of Maybach glasses for $14,000. He called...
02.022016January 3, 2016
Discovery and Recovery
Wendy checked out of her relationship with Alan. Alan wasn’t meeting her emotional needs and hadn’t for years. Any attempt to change this consistently ended...
26.012016January 3, 2016
Code 2, Aisle 2
In my first session with couples, I love to hear the answer to the questions of how they met and what attracted them. Typically couples...
19.012016January 3, 2016
Can’t you Take a Joke?
Tom was making a joke. When Judy responded negatively, he said, “Can’t you take a joke?” Instead, Judy found Tom’s “joke” insulting. A joke is...
12.012016January 14, 2016
Attacking Vulnerabilities
John & Dana disconnected over the years. In our marriage counseling session, John shared that he was seeing a therapist individually for years. Dana was...