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...
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.
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...
Uncanny Timing
I had a video conferencing session with Brittany and Alex—Brittany was at home, and Alex was on his way to pick up a new sports...
Solving Problems
A husband was talking about his work and said that his job was to solve problems. When I heard this, I thought what a good...
Game Night
Lee and Maura talked about an incident over the weekend in couples counseling, and the conversation totally shut down. I encouraged them to continue the...
In the Spirit of Communication
George and Aimee have been married for decades. Now that the kids were adults and George had recently retired, they were taking a closer look...