Katelyn described a transactional relationship with Jake. They managed a household together and raised children, but the relationship felt more like roommates. The romance and...
Relationship Resources Blog
Each day my life is enriched by listening to and guiding couples as they bring their raw experiences to sessions and we try to make sense of difficult times. Through these blog posts, I hope to give readers a snapshot of our work including examples of the real issues that people bring, and how we can find meaning and a path out together. Their identities are protected, but each experience is real. Because relationships are complex, my role is to help couples share their experiences while providing a conceptual road map to understand their experiences, finding a way out of the woods of painful experiences. This blog shares stories and concepts; I hope it provides hope, insight and richness to each reader’s own journey.
But We Have All These Things
Since Scott is self-employed, his work often blends into the weekend. Andrea talked about wanting to spend more time together on the weekend as a...
Change Possibilities
Essential skills for successful couples are to: give good feedback and to absorb feedback. First of all, feedback is sharing the impact of a partner’s...
Correcting Perceptions
Tom was quiet at home. Donna perceived his being quiet as him thinking that he was better than her. When she brought this up at...
I’ll Consider It
During our couples counseling session, Ann was asking for something, and Mark responded with “We’ll see.” Ann viscerally reacted to his statement but wasn’t clear...
Sensitivity Prevails
Mitch knew Donna was having a stressful weekend due to all of their commitments. Therefore Mitch offered to take their son to a birthday party...
Intuitive Learning
When a young child is learning their native language, he or she eventually intuits the structure of language. Although the child will be taught the...
Avoiding Trip Wires
Thomas walks on eggshells. He’s afraid to say something at home that will set off conflict. He said it’s like avoiding trip wires. By evading...
Grim Reality
Normally I share stories about successful couples, but this story is about a couple who may not make it. I think we can also learn...
Guy Talk
Marianne has an issue with how Doug sometimes talks. He can be crude and occasionally offensive. He works in a prison where language can be...
Reworking
Ed worries a lot, mostly about finances. Since he’s in an industry that has more turnover than most, he’s constantly worrying about his family’s future....
Reprocessing
Processing conflict is one of the most important skills successful couples develop. Since conflict in relationships is inevitable, discussing conflict allows individuals to learn what...