Relationship Tips
Empty Nester 101: Your Kids Have Launched, Now What?
You packed the car to the brim with bedding, clothes, lamps, toiletries, and an industrial-sized case of Cup Noodles. You’ve walked the neighborhood and helped unpack overstuffed boxes and bags. You’ve met the roommate and given 43 hugs. Your child is now out of your...
What’s the Right Mix of Me Time and We Time?
Do you ever ask yourself questions like "How can I take time for myself without neglecting my partner?" or "Can I really have a successful relationship if I feel like I'm always putting myself last?" If you are, you are not alone. Whether you are newlyweds in the...
Do You Really Need Premarital Counseling?
While working the booth at my first bridal show to promote our Prepare/Enrich premarital program, I experienced almost everything but interest from the newly engaged attendees. After receiving an engagement ring, recruiting mom to help plan the wedding, picking out...
4 Ways to Set Boundaries in Your Relationship
The word “boundaries” in a romantic partnership can trigger negative connotations, conjuring up images of angry and controlling partners. However, there is a different way to look at this idea. Boundaries are the rules and agreements that make it possible to remain in...
Repair In The Real World: It’s The Little Things
“ We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily difference we can make, which over time, often add up to big differences we often cannot foresee.” - Marian Wright Edelman It would be accurate and certainly...
Your Best Vacation Ever Includes Therapy
We’re all coming out of the covid fog – we’re no longer in survival-only mode and many are easing back into planning vacations and planning for the future. Summers have often been the perfect time of year to get away from the everyday to refresh, recharge, and reset...
Separating Gracefully: How Couples Counseling Can Help
Sitting in the afternoon light of my therapy office, I observe the faces of the couple across the coffee table. They are restricted, tense, and in pain. Hans* explains in a small voice that they have decided to end their marriage. His wife, Allison*, cries quietly...
Use Your Words: Why Emotion Words Matter
The words we choose to express how we feel can undeniably impact how we relate to one another. In the words of the esteemed poet Rumi, “Raise your words, not your voice. It is the rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” As a marriage and family therapist, I see this...
6 Questions You Should Ask Each Other On Your Anniversary
When was the last time you looked at your wedding day photos? It's truly a trip down memory lane and an opportunity to transport yourself back into the moment. These beautiful images make two things very clear to me: We look like babies. Oh wow, we look so young. We...
Have You Caused an Attachment Injury? Here’s How to Work Through It
We have all been hurt in our closest relationships, whether intentionally or unintentionally. It is a simple fact of life. Many of these injuries are shallow, and heal without much effort, like paper cuts. Sometimes, though, the injury is more serious, because it...