Four Ways to Improve Your Love Life

It’s February and love is in the air! But let’s face it: sometimes, cupid’s arrow stings. As passions cool, love may feel distant or prickly even when it’s laying next to us in bed every night. Ah, animosity, resentment, and regret don’t make warm bedfellows. It may feel impossible right now, but what if I…

Routines Versus Rituals

Are routines and rituals both needed for a healthy family environment? As human beings we all begin and end things each and every day.  Mealtime, chores, work, school, and many more activities.  One of the most important endings of a day is mealtime and putting our kids to bed.  Both are a time to reconnect…

Navigating Trauma Triggers in Marriage

How does trauma impact our relationships? Trauma alters the nervous system. The experience of threat and danger has changed the way that survivors interact with and perceive the world. They experience feelings of being hyper vigilant, anxious, confused, fearful, irritable, and emotionally detached. Their minds and bodies have been rewired by their traumatic experiences to…

How to Ask Your Partner for What You Want

Have you ever been in the presence of your partner, longingly looking at them and hoping they will notice your desire for touch and connection? Have you ever heard your friends complain about how their partner never plans anything romantic for them? Why does it feel so hard to ask for what we want and…

Navigating the Holidays as Newlyweds

Talk About the Holidays Early It is probably not the best time to sort out details for a holiday the week or night before. Beginning to have early conversations about where and how holidays will be spent can take some of the pressure of these decisions later on. The earlier that you can begin to…

Teletherapy FAQ – What is Distance Counseling?

What is distance counseling? Distance counseling, or teletherapy, is counseling that takes place via phone or video conference because the counselor and the client are in separate locations.  Clients and counselors may not be able to meet face to face for various reasons: the client is traveling for work or is on vacation the client…

Fighting the Stigma of Therapy

One of my jobs as a therapist is to make sure that whoever walks into my office for the first time feels safe and comfortable. One way I often do this, is through humor.  Here is a common exchange I engage in if they are new to therapy:   Therapist: So… is this your first…

Transparency: Pushing Beyond the Barriers to Strengthen Security and Trust

Transparency – a word I hear come up often in sessions with clients. What comes to mind when you say transparency aloud? Does it make you feel uncomfortable, fearful, or maybe vulnerable? For many, being transparent is important and expected – especially in relationships. Partners want their significant others to be open and honest in…