Jeannie works in the restaurant industry. When she was working Christmas Eve, her husband Rick planned to make the night special despite her not being...
Zero to One Hundred
Escalation is a core problem in many relationships. If a person starts a conversation with a negative comment, the likelihood of a partner responding negatively...
We Need to Talk
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Liberace Glasses
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...
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...
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...