Dan asked, “Are you okay?” and Rebecca said she didn’t like the question. In our couples counseling session, I asked Dan to change the question...
Author archive for: drrein
Home » Archives for Dr. Richard Rein
21.012026January 14, 2026
Rewriting History
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Dismissiveness, Recurring Patterns, Repairs
When women want to address unfinished issues from the past, it’s not uncommon for husbands to say, “It’s in the past.” However, the comment is...
14.012026January 14, 2026
Transformation
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Abuse, Escalation, Verbal Abuse
Jack and Danielle have been married for three decades and were in a bad place. Jack had been married twice before, and this was their...
17.122025November 6, 2025
The Grass is Greener
The husband of a couple was questioning whether to continue his marriage. His wife was concerned that he was comparing their relationship to others. Her...
10.122025November 6, 2025
Getting Close
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Individual Relationship Coaching, Marriage CounselingTags Affection, Infidelity, Intimacy
I had been seeing Andrew and Katherine in couples counseling for a year and a half, and now they were coming to the end of...
03.122025November 6, 2025
Let’s Talk
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Individual Relationship Coaching, Marriage CounselingTags Combative, Disconnected, Escalation
When I asked Kevin and Doreen, a couple in their sixties, what a fight looked like if I were to observe it, Doreen said, “We...
19.112025November 6, 2025
Use Statements
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Individual Relationship Coaching, Marriage CounselingTags Mistreatment, Statements
When discussing relationship issues, it’s more effective to use statements than questions. Statements declare what an individual’s thoughts and feelings are on a particular topic,...
12.112025November 6, 2025
Express, Instead of Persuade
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Individual Relationship Coaching, Marriage CounselingTags Debate, Persuasion
It’s important to express oneself rather than persuade your partner to your point of view. Persuasion is more like a debate, in which an individual...
06.112025November 6, 2025
Coaching Success
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Individual Relationship Coaching, Marriage CounselingTags Coaching, Communication, Feedback
Virtually all professional athletes have coaches, whether in team or individual sports. Why can’t couples have the same? They can. Ultimately, a competent couples therapist...
29.102025September 10, 2025
Weaponize
If an individual threatens to end or leave a relationship, this often occurs in the heat of the moment, during an escalation. The threat destabilizes...