Jack and Danielle have been married for three decades and were in a bad place. Jack had been married twice before, and this was their...
14.012026January 14, 2026
Archive for tag: Escalation
Home » Escalation
03.122025November 6, 2025
Let’s Talk
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Individual Relationship Coaching, Marriage CounselingTags Combative, Disconnected, Escalation
When I asked Kevin and Doreen, a couple in their sixties, what a fight looked like if I were to observe it, Doreen said, “We...
29.102025September 10, 2025
Weaponize
If an individual threatens to end or leave a relationship, this often occurs in the heat of the moment, during an escalation. The threat destabilizes...
17.052023March 28, 2023
Old Habits Die Hard
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Escalation, Name-Calling, Steamrolling
Angelo and Melissa had a troubled relationship. By the time they started couples counseling, Melissa had moved out and started divorce proceedings. When they talked...
09.112022November 9, 2022
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...
19.052021September 29, 2021
Reprocessing
Processing conflict is one of the most important skills successful couples develop. Since conflict in relationships is inevitable, discussing conflict allows individuals to learn what...
05.052021September 29, 2021
Cascading
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Cascading, Escalation, Patience, Respect
Cascading is when a couple quickly moves from one theme to another theme. The problem is that the conversation changes so quickly that the couple...
14.042021April 1, 2021
Very Carefully
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Conflict, Escalation, Language
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...
01.042021October 25, 2022
Clarity Creates Change
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Relationship Counseling, UncategorizedTags Escalation, Flashpoints, Responses
Frank went out to pick up some groceries, but Meredith didn’t know where he was. When he returned, Meredith expressed her upset feelings about not...
09.092020September 9, 2020
Essential Conversations
By Dr. Richard ReinIn Couples Therapy, Marriage Counseling, Relationship CounselingTags Communication, Conflict, Couples Counseling, Escalation
Successful couples know how to discuss issues without escalating. If they do escalate, they may be able to repair conflict as it’s occurring. If not,...