Couples & Relationships

Corroding Relationships with Contemptment
May 27, 2020

Another act besides criticizing that negatively impacts relationships is contemptment. This behavior is also known as disrespect or coming from a place of superiority. This is the biggest indicator of divorce according to Gottman’s research. Couples who are contemptuous...

Criticism vs. Complaint
May 18, 2020

In the past two months, we have been in close quarters with our partners and noticed some cute and some not so cute habits of theirs… Or maybe things were rocky before sheltering in place, and now those issues...

How To Establish Healthy Personal Boundaries: Part 1
April 8, 2020

This topic may seem a little strange given the circumstances the world is currently facing, but given the forced personal boundaries that have become a must to help stem the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic, I thought I would...

3 Reasons for Premarital Counseling
March 16, 2020

Often when you find that special person that you are ready to marry ‘until death do you part,’ you’ll have plenty of input from others. Many of your friends and family will be telling you what they think of...

Coping with the Anxiety of IVF
February 6, 2020

Research indicates that around 1 million babies were born in the United States between 1987 and 2015 through the use of IVF or other assisted reproductive technologies.  These procedures have given couples new hope; infertility and IVF treatments cause...

If You Are on The Fence About Counseling…
January 27, 2020

Since becoming a counselor, it has continued to surprise me how many misconceptions there are out there about counseling and mental health care. In fact, one of the very first clients I ever had asked me if he had...

How NOT to Talk to Someone With Anxiety
January 21, 2020

It has been my experience that usually when we respond to those who are struggling, we are all trying our best to be as empathetic and kind as possible to our friends and loved ones. While our intentions are...

What to Do When Feeling Defensive
January 20, 2020

Defensiveness is a factor dealt with in many relationships, whether it be constant trouble or a road block you encounter every now and then. We see defensiveness when we try to talk to someone about our feelings, experience, or...

Be the Change You Want to See In Your Communication
January 7, 2020

A common issue that I encounter in my work as a counselor is communication problems. Most of the time we think of communication problems being exclusive to couples or marital counseling, but the reality is communication problems can be...

Giving the Gift of Validation
November 18, 2019

Validation is important because it communicates I hear you, I see you, and I care. When experienced from others it can feel like you have received the gift of acceptance and feeling understood. This is what makes learning the...