The Successful Blended Family
Three (or Four) questions for Anne Brennan Malec about Remarriage Okay, I am not anywhere near the stage of remarriage, let alone re-falling madly in love. Nor are most of us, at least in the immediate aftermath of divorce. But it hovers out there—the aspiration to meet someone new, recommit, perhaps remarry. We’ve all heard…
Read MoreSomething’s Gotta Give: Managing Anger in Your Relationship
All relationships experience some level of conflict, and what often comes with conflict is anger. At its core, anger is a secondary emotion, meaning it is a reaction to a primary emotional response. Common primary emotions that trigger anger are hurt, fear, pain, or rejection. Anger can develop as an automatic response to these perceived…
Read MoreA Workaholic’s Guide to Simple Self Care
Self care means intentionally prioritizing your own basic needs for health, relaxation, stress reduction, and the pursuit of personal interests. While this term may connote shirking responsibilities so that you can spend a day at the spa, it simply means being aware that without recharging your own batteries, you will burn out or perhaps suffer…
Read MoreLessons in Love: Expressions of Love
It is one thing to love and quite another to feel loved. Without feeling loved, you may become disillusioned with your partner and your relationship. To make your partner feel loved and appreciated, it is essential to understand how best to express love so that your partner can feel it and to be open with…
Read MoreA Newlywed’s Guide to Setting Realistic Marriage Expectations
You have said, “I do,” signed the marriage license, and perhaps even celebrated your wedding with family and friends. With all the hard work of planning and executing a wedding behind you, now is the time to sit back, relax, and enjoy life as a married couple, right? The truth, of course, is that this…
Read MoreLessons in Love: Love is Dynamic
Love exists in many forms that complement a variety of relationships. Think of the love you feel for your partner versus the love you feel for a friend, relative, pet, or hobby. It is restrictive to think that there is a “right” kind of love to strive for, which may lead you farther astray from…
Read MoreLove is Conditional: Busting Relationship Myths
Love stories often arrive wrapped in cultural slogans and social media soundbites. Those messages sound comforting at first, yet many of them create confusion and disappointment over time. Relationship myths affect how people approach intimacy, conflict, sex, and commitment, and those myths quietly influence daily choices. From our perspective as clinicians, these beliefs often block…
Read MoreGuidelines for a Good Apology
Offering a good apology to someone may seem easy, but doing it right requires attention and care. Simply saying, “I’m sorry” does not necessarily absolve you from your mistake; truly conveying remorse involves much more. No matter the circumstances, we each need to take personal responsibility for our own actions, regardless of how the past…
Read MoreShowing Interest in Your Partner: Home-based Therapy for Your Relationship
Over time, partners frequently lose the fervor they once had to understand and actively appreciate the other. This is partially due to simply knowing your partner better. After being with this person for so many years, day in and day out, you certainly learn a thing or two about your partner’s likes, dislikes, annoyances, and…
Read MoreTaking Control: Achieving a More Fulfilling Relationship Using Gottman’s Magic 6 Hours
John Gottman is a well-known researcher of intimate relationships , and he developed a method of couple therapy based on many of his findings. One piece of his theory that recently received media attention is the significance of couple time in improving your relationship. Given that this is a concept I almost always bring up…
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