When Kate first emailed me to inquire about a scheduling a session, she wrote “Our marriage is only 4 years old and rapidly deteriorating. We...
14.042021April 1, 2021
Archive for category: Couples Counseling
Home » Couples Counseling
07.042021April 1, 2021
Getting it Done
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Counseling, Marriage CounselingTags Being Heard, Communication, Feedback, Feelings, Winning
In working with a young struggling couple, I was struck by how the wife was really getting it. By the fourth session, she made a...
10.022021December 2, 2020
Repairing Repairs
Repairs are one of the most difficult skills for couples to learn and implement. Repairs are when a conversation begins to go off track but...
27.012021December 2, 2020
Read the Room
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Counseling, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Attacks, Defensiveness
Jack and Eileen were arguing at home when Jack attacked Eileen, Eileen reacted, and Jack said, “Let’s end this.” When they processed this interaction in...
20.012021December 2, 2020
What I Need
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Counseling, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Criticism, Needs
Sue took issue with Jeremy calling her useless. She began to criticize him for name-calling when I stopped her. I suggested that rather than pointing...
06.012021December 2, 2020
Silent Rage
Alex and Courtney are an engaged couple in their early thirties, living together in the city. One evening Alex was hoping to hang out with...
16.122020December 2, 2020
Feedforward
When couples give feedback to one other, it tends to be negative. The information typically describes what their partner is doing wrong—which is often critical....
02.122020December 2, 2020
Not a Smart Idea
Andrea and Ron were enjoying their long weekend at the beach when Andrea was feeling adventurous. Despite it being dark out, Andrea said, “Let’s go...
17.112020November 17, 2020
What’s Wrong? Nothing.
Debbie is pretty intuitive and was sensing something was bothering Chris. When she asked, “What’s wrong?”, he said, “Nothing.” She asked again and his response...
04.112020November 3, 2020
Past Issues
Couples unconsciously bring their past issues to couples counseling, whether it’s childhood issues or issues with past spouses, but couples don’t often talk explicitly about...