I Really Don’t Need Your Help!

So often couples come to see me in great frustration because each partner thinks the other is trying to fix them or control them.  This behavior comes out in a variety of ways… often intended to be helpful or focused on making the relationship better.  However, it often results in anger and disconnect.  Partners report feeling misunderstood and begin to feel justified when their helping ways are questioned.  They say things like “If you would only listen to me…” and “I told you so…” and “Don’t feel that way baby….”

Parenting with HOPE when things seem HOPELESS

The day before my second son was born I sat in my hospital room, a place I had called home for nearly a week due to strict bed rest orders, and cried because I knew what it meant to have to share my child with the world. Tomorrow he would no longer be just mine. I would no longer be the only one who could feel him move and squirm and kick. I would no longer be the only one who knew him, really knew him. He would be part of the world and the world was a scary place…

The Four Buckets of Feelings

Often, people in my office get confused about what they are feeling.  When asked to name the feeling they are experiencing, they often name one of four buckets of feelings:  Glad, Sad, Mad, and Anxious.  Every feeling we have gets thrown into one of those four generalized buckets.   Then, the same people start to get frustrated when their partners don’t understand the feeling or why they are experiencing it. 

What are you fighting for?: Understanding Relationship Conflict and How to Address it

I lead a group for couples on how to bring intention into their relationship.  This is a fascinating group and 
I learn so much from sitting with these couples as we tackle the many inputs into relationships that often 
trip us up.  One recent topic was conflict.  How do we have manage conflict in our relationship with 
intention?  Does it matter if the conflict is between both partners or experienced by one partner from an 
outside source?  As you can imagine, this was a lively discussion!