Tara and Reed were not in a good place for quite some time. They lost the ability to resolve conflict and grew quite distant. Eventually,...
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.
Risk
It’s interesting to look at relationships as having levels of risk. Relationships with low risk aren’t threatened by disbanding. Some couples come to couples counseling...
Growth
Individual counseling isn’t the only place to work on yourself. Couples counseling provides similar opportunities. What’s different is that you are working on issues your...
Locking In
When couples make progress in couples counseling, one or both partners may question the viability of the changes. The goal of couples counseling is to...
Best Behavior
I recently started seeing Greg and Cara in couples counseling and was talking with Cara’s individual therapist. The therapist reported that Cara was concerned about...
I Disagree
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!”...
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....