5 Ways Individual Therapy Can Help Your Relationship

5 Ways Individual Therapy Can Help Your Relationship It is a scary thing when your relationship is in a bad place, but your partner isn’t willing to do something new to try to improve your situation. You may have read some things online or asked friends for advice on how to make changes to better […]

What We Get WRONG When It Comes to Love Languages

What We Get WRONG When It Comes to Love Languages It’s BS-Free Friday. Let’s talk about the 5 love languages. We want to understand our own and our partner’s. They are: Words of Affirmation: When your partner gives compliments, verbal appreciation and encouragement, or hearing “I love you” or other statements often. Quality Time: When […]

The Risks of Staying in a Toxic Relationship for the Kids

The Risks of Staying in a Toxic Relationship for the Kids In my work as a Marriage and Family Therapist, I always inquire at the beginning of working with a couple what their goals are in therapy. Couples usually say things along the lines of improving their communication, increasing their level of intimacy, and repairing […]

Intentionality in Your Relationship

Intentionality in Your Relationship All too often we get carried away with the mile-long list of things we need to do. Having weekly check-ins with your partner can help you reflect on your relationship, share aspects that are working well, and address areas of conflict in a productive way. These regular discussions can help you […]

The Dangers of Financial Abuse

The Dangers of Financial Abuse Financial abuse is one of the most common, yet forgotten, forms of abuse. It is particularly insidious because it leaves you dependent and vulnerable. Without agency over your finances, you are trapped in an abusive relationship and your ability to stay safe after leaving your abusive partner is essentially gone. […]

The Truth Behind Triggers

The Truth Behind Triggers It seems that society likes to pick a psychology word or phrase and then overuse and mishandle it. When people misuse terms, we lose what they actually mean. Sometimes this is in the form of actual diagnoses, like… That’s so OCD. They are acting totally bipolar. Don’t be so paranoid. Sometimes […]

Attachment Theory in Relationships

Attachment Theory in Relationships Have you ever jumped from relationship to relationship every few months, wondering why you can’t find the perfect partner? Or maybe you’ve been left wondering why the partners you choose are always emotionally unavailable. What if you knew that your relationship choices and the way you attach to others has been […]

Emotional Affairs, The Slippery Slope

Sometimes in life things aren’t as easy to identify and the proverbial crossing of the line is wavy at best. The slippery slope in the relationship counseling world is if someone is having an affair when there is no physical contact. Research shows that most adults think that just talking could sometimes be a form […]

EMDR – an Answer to Trauma

You can’t think or talk your way out of trauma. Trauma is not cognitive. The mind and body are connected, and you need both to heal. The nervous system is affected by your experiences, so you need to include your nervous system in the healing process experience. EMDR therapy is designed to incorporate the mind […]

How to Handle Being Homesick at College

Leaving for college is typically a time of excitement for students, one that represents new opportunities and, for many, their first venture out on their own, living away from family. But with that newfound freedom may come feelings of homesickness. “With little exception, all students will feel homesick at some time, usually in the beginning,” says Tamar […]