Most couples start couples counseling, wanting to talk about their last fight or blowout, but Patrick said he didn’t want to do that. He wanted...
Author archive for: drrein
Tribute
Rick and Cindy had a really difficult teenager. Brendan was constantly challenging them. He pushed the limits regularly. The couple had very different ways of...
Parenting the Parent
Andrea and Mark had two rambunctious young boys, and Andrea really struggled with them. They rarely listened to her, and she moved between being stressed...
Safe Haven
In our first couples counseling session, Ed shared that he needs to be physically intimate with his wife, but Michelle disclosed that she doesn’t feel...
Revamping
Alex and Paige have been married for over three decades and were moving into a new phase with adult children and Alex’s early retirement. They...
Complain Well
Last week I had a session in which I was routinely interrupting the husband. Typically when couples criticize each other in couples counseling, I intervene....
Restoring Trust
When infidelity occurs in a relationship, the injured partner often wonders if they will ever regain trust. This requires the involved partner to be completely...
Winners are Losers
Michael and Julia shared an incident with me that occurred during the week. When they were grocery shopping together, Julia put the garlic bread at...
Zinged
Donald recently retired and now has the time to renovate their kitchen. When he and his wife Amanda were discussing the project, she said, “The...
Reactivity
Mike is a passionate guy. He’s also emotional. When he reacts to something, he’s intense. His partner Laura is different. She is sensitive, thoughtful, and...