Discernment Counseling is a relatively new form of counseling for couples. It is designed for couples in which at least one partner is seriously considering...
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.
Different Strokes
Andrew and Jennifer made enough progress in couples counseling to finally talk about intimacy, or in their case, lack of intimacy. Jennifer said they were...
Recipe for Disaster
This was the third stint of couples counseling for Rob and Amy. I often felt Rob didn’t want to be in couples counseling but felt...
Counter Punches
I saw Jessica and Dave about five years ago for a few sessions, and they recently returned. I was curious about their current situation, and...
Healing Wounds
Susan and Ron struggled when I first saw them in couples counseling. They were now making enough progress to spread the sessions out. In this...
Coaching
Jack and Stacy were not in a good place. Despite a decent lifestyle, internally, they were so unhappy. Their interactions were regularly tense, and the...
Getting Closer
In my first session with couples, I typically ask them what their goals are for couples counseling—what they want to accomplish as a result of...
Skeptics Welcome
On occasion, I get spouses who question how useful couples counseling is going to be. I never try to convince them differently, but I am...
Paradigm Shift
James and Dawn were in a bad place. They had made progress in couples counseling, but then had a setback that they never recovered from....
Old Habits Die Hard
Angelo and Melissa had a troubled relationship. By the time they started couples counseling, Melissa had moved out and started divorce proceedings. When they talked...
Foundational Issues
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...
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...