After months of marriage counseling, Jennifer now felt supported by her husband Sean when she talked about Will—her adult son from her first marriage—who struggles...
Archive for category: Couples Counseling
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07.042016March 29, 2016
Can’t You See
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Counseling, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Communication, Criticism, Escalation
Elysia and Scott were sitting in the physician’s waiting room waiting for Elysia’s appointment. Elysia’s cell phone rang and she answered. Elysia kept the conversation...
31.032016March 29, 2016
An Unpleasant Holiday
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Counseling, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Conflict, Escalation
Jeannie works in the restaurant industry. When she was working Christmas Eve, her husband Rick planned to make the night special despite her not being...
22.032016March 29, 2016
Zero to One Hundred
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Counseling, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Conflict, Escalation
Escalation is a core problem in many relationships. If a person starts a conversation with a negative comment, the likelihood of a partner responding negatively...
15.032016January 3, 2016
We Need to Talk
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Criticism, Escalation, Processing
Robert dreaded when Diane said, “We need to talk.” He knew the conversation was likely to escalate. She criticized him, he then defended himself, and...
23.022016January 3, 2016
Mars and Venus
The best selling hard-cover nonfiction book of all time is Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus by John Gray, Ph.D. This reflects people’s...
16.022016January 3, 2016
Listen, Support, and Validate
Sue was emotional these days. Her father’s memory was beginning to fail him and she was feeling distressed. When she began to share her upset...
09.022016January 3, 2016
Liberace Glasses
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Communication, Curious, Escalation, Self-Conscious
Bruce and Cindy were vacationing in Palm Springs and walked into an eyeglass store. Bruce saw a pair of Maybach glasses for $14,000. He called...
08.122015December 22, 2016
Turn Here! Slow Down!
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Control, Driving, Fear, Power, Respect
Driving is a classic topic in couples therapy since it evokes power and control issues. Commands such as “Turn here,” “Park here,” “Go this way”...
01.122015January 3, 2016
The Tarp
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Defensiveness, Escalation, Judgement
Cynthia was feeling stressed. Between work, kids and maintaining the home, there was never enough time. Her partner Ron sensed her strain and decided to...