During my information-gathering session with Katie and Mike, they shared an interaction in which Mike gave his point of view, and Katie said, “I disagree!”...
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.
Maintenance
Sometimes couples can move quickly through couples counseling. It’s not rare for committed young couples, and it’s currently occurring for a couple in their seventies. ...
Breaking the Status Quo
The work in couples counseling is to break the status quo. Couples in counseling are typically distressed and unhappy; if they stay that way, many...
When a Hug is Just a Hug
Sharon isn’t feeling very intimate these days. Initially, in couples counseling, her relationship with Dan wasn’t great, so she wasn’t feeling much emotional intimacy. As...
Learning from Conflict
When couples have conflict in between sessions, I want them to bring these interactions back to couples counseling. When successful couples have conflict, they can...
What’s Possible!
When I started marriage counseling with Brad and Kim, I didn’t know if they would make it. They were separated for a little over half...
A Blown Opportunity
Derek and Olivia were making enough progress in couples counseling for Derek to bring uprestoring their physical intimacy. However, Olivia said she still wasn’t interested....
A Good Student
Alyssa initiated couples counseling when she was questioning whether to continue her marriage. She was quite withdrawn from her husband Tim. Tim was constantly critical...
A Trail of Hurt & Regret
Patrick shared in his last couples counseling session that all of their relationship problems were from him. He acknowledged that he didn’t filter his words...
Calendar Meetings
Relationships are filled with negotiations. One of those negotiations is about time. In a recent couples counseling session, Gary and Victoria talked about how their...
Pin Pricks
John and Mary have been married for a couple of decades, with their oldest going off to college and their youngest starting to look for...
I’m Not Angry
In a recent couples counseling session, Christine insisted that Danny was angry and he was emphatic that he wasn’t angry. Christine persisted that he was...