Couples
Is Everyone Having Emotional Affairs?
What’s so bad about some innocent flirting? If this is something you’ve recently uttered to yourself, you could already be on the path to having an emotional affair. If you’ve ever been a victim of one of these affairs, you already know how painful this supposedly “victimless crime” can be for the betrayed partner. Emotional…
Read MoreHow to Stop a Breakup From Hurting Your Mental Health
We aren’t taught to grieve breakups properly. The advice we’re given is to get over it, get out of the house to meet someone new, and get on with life. In reality, we need to both tend to and honor the deep wound left behind by a breakup. This applies to both tumultuous and amicable…
Read MoreWhat Does Self-Compassion Have to Do With Successful Dating?
While navigating dating and relationships, we often focus on how we’re treating the other person. We may also get caught up on how they’re treating us. However, we rarely stop to think about how we’re treating ourselves within the context of dating. This is why I emphasize self-compassion with my clients who are struggling in…
Read MoreIs This Specific Codependency Dynamic Driving Your Relationship?
Are you concerned that you’re caught up in codependency? While the specifics of your relationship are unique, the patterns that play out in codependent relationships are pretty predictable. In fact, you may feel like you’re getting into relationships with the same person over and over again in your life. “Codependency is a dysfunctional relationship dynamic…
Read MoreHere’s Why Your Brain Can’t Quit That Boomerang Relationship
Are you caught in a boomerang relationship? From a therapist’s standpoint, things that “come back” after you let them go don’t always come back because they belong to you. It’s more likely that you’re stuck in an unhealthy cycle. You keep getting back together in the hopes that you’ll finally get in sync this time…
Read MoreWhy Some Couples Need Discernment Counseling Before the Divorce Ink Is Dry
There’s one last stop on the road to divorce that all couples should know about. It’s called discernment counseling. The purpose of discernment counseling isn’t to talk anybody out of anything. Its purpose is to ensure that both parties are given the tools and opportunity to achieve full clarity about the decision to separate before…
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