Couples Communication Issues – Part 5, Standoffs!

By |2016-12-13T05:19:12+00:00February 13th, 2016|Communication Issues, Communication Problems, couples therapy|

You've had a fight with your partner. You are sure you are in the right, and you stand your ground. There is no compromise and you are willing to wait until your partner acknowledges it. You want to be vindicated and you want your partner to acknowledge that you are right and they are wrong. How sweet the thought of that is! So you go off to your private corner with your head held high, and wait. Meantime your partner also feels in the right. Your partner too is willing to wait until you see the error of your judgment, admit it and give them a victory. Your partner is caught in the same couples communication issue as you : a standoff!

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Couples Communication Issues – Part 4 – Delivery Style

By |2017-09-13T20:34:30+00:00January 13th, 2016|Communication Issues, Communication Problems, couples therapy|

Are you enraged because your partner seems to hear what you said but doesn't respond? Do you want to engage your partner in a serious conversation but find that your words go in one ear and out the other? Then you are obviously not having an impact. Maybe there is a reason why matters that are important to you, doesn't hit your partner in the same spot.

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Couples Communication Issues – Part 2 – The Approach

By |2017-09-13T20:23:03+00:00December 29th, 2015|Communication Issues, Communication Problems, Intimacy|

communication issues in couples therapy The approach you take when you initiate a conversation with your spouse determines whether or not you get through, or stay outside feeling unseen and unheard. In this second of the series on couples communication issues, you will learn why your partner shuts down, shuts you out and shuts down the relationship. You will also discover how your expectations of your partner's words and intentions can effect receptivity, making the difference between being invited in, or being shut out.

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Couples Communication Issues – Part 1, Body Language

By |2016-12-13T05:19:12+00:00November 18th, 2015|Communication Issues, Communication Problems, couples therapy|

Couples communication issues is by far the biggest impetus that draws partners into couples therapy. One person describes the frustrating experience of not being able to get through their partner’s wall, no matter how hard they try. Then the other one says there is no point listening because they know exactly what’s going to be said, and it’s all a load of nonsense! Perhaps you too have felt excluded from your partner’s life, which not only angers you but leads to misunderstandings that have long term implications for how much you trust one and other. Often one member of a couple comes into therapy already having ‘given up!’ They start off with, “what’s the point?” and nine times out of ten it’s the opening salvo in ensuring that no one is going to get past each other’s defensive moats. But what may surprise you is that despite the fact that you feel like there isn’t any communication going on, THERE IS, and plenty of it.

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Dating Someone Who is Divorced- Six Mistakes To Avoid

By |2016-12-13T05:19:12+00:00October 5th, 2015|couples therapy, Dating, separation counseling|

Have you met the love of your life, but feel uneasy because your partner is divorced? Do you wonder whether their history intruding on your new and exciting relationship? Are you wondering if your lover will leave you and go back to their ex, because their family before you is first and will always be more magnetic than you? Dating a person who is divorced when you yourself have never been married is a challenge and can stir up a lot of discomfort, leeriness and loss of self-confidence.

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8 Stages to Getting Past Being Cheated On

By |2017-09-13T20:57:42+00:00August 13th, 2015|Cheating and Affairs|

Sorting out the laundry one Thursday evening, Marsha, a 37 year-old antique dealer found a receipt in her 40-year-old husband Terry’s jeans pocket. Stunned into paralysis as she unfolded the crumpled paper, she knew immediately that she had been cheated on. A hotel receipt, paid for in cash, for a large suite and room service obviously for more than one person. With a throbbing head, trembling hands and a hot flush enveloping her, Marsha called her best friend. Toni was the only one Marsha could trust to understand and make her feel better. After sharing her shock and realizing that Terry had been cheating, a montage of images flashed through her mind like a dizzy slide show. Signs that she had ignored over the last few months now stood out and wrapped her over the knuckles for not paying closer attention.

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Is Your Relationship Safe From Negative Comparisons Against Your Partner??

By |2016-12-13T05:19:12+00:00July 29th, 2015|Anxiety therapy|

Getting dressed to go out to a friend’s house for a dinner party, thirty-three-year-old realtor Mara felt a pang of jealousy invade her body. An image of Ray, their host, always smartly dressed contrasted sharply with her thirty-five-year-old husband Seth, an entertainment lawyer, togged out in shorts, Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops! Driving to the event was uncomfortable. Mara wanted to disown her husband. She felt out of alignment with him and when they arrived at Ray’s place, envy crept up from the pit of her stomach to the roots of her hair. She snapped at Seth, openly disparaging him in front of others.

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Pressing The Refresh Button On a Crumbling Marriage

By |2016-12-13T05:19:12+00:00July 21st, 2015|Anxiety therapy, Couples Counseling, Intimacy, relationship issues|

Have you hit a really rough spot in your marriage making it feel as if it's once strong and reliable foundation is about to crumble? Then you must be feeling very insecure and stressed. Do you wonder why your tried and trusted ways of being together and talking about things is no longer working? Perhaps the old ways are exactly the problem! When you first met your needs were different and you set up a system that suited you at the time. But now you have matured, become smarter with more experience. You may want the same things, but not in quite the same way. How do you have a conversation about that without making your partner feel criticized? How do you navigate without having a conflict?

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Are You and Your Partner Getting Off on Addictive Rage?

By |2017-05-22T22:16:41+00:00May 29th, 2015|Couples Counseling|

west los angeles anger management for couples Jackson just found out that his partner Stacey has been keeping a secret about a friendship with a past romantic friend. It all came spilling out when he saw a text message on her phone while she was in the bathroom and he was getting ready for bed. Stunned, he gave Stacey the cold shoulder when they got into bed. But inside he was smoldering. The lightest touch from Stacey ignited his rage, setting off a cascade of accusations that he wanted her to plead guilty to. Enraged and humiliated about being duped, Jackson wanted to get back in control. One part of him wanted to beat the truth out of her and feel strong doing it, while another part of him wanted a denial so the relationship remained secure. It was hard to know which part of himself he should fight for. Furious at his audacity, Stacey yelled that he was overreacting Jackson went ballistic. He just saw a text that made it clear that something is going on between them. It looked suspicious. How could she pretend he made it up? Jackson’s head throbbed and he felt his heart racing as he began interrogating Stacey He imagined all the ways he had been kept in the dark and made a fool of. His imagination ran riot, and he wanted to get every last drop of “admission ” out of her. Desperate to calm him down and get to sleep, Stacey decided to answer his questions directly hoping it would do the trick. There was no risk for her since she had nothing to hide. But each time she answered him Jackson’s fire got stoked again. To him, it was as if she was proving that there was no smoke without fire!

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How to Juggle a Demading Career and Marriage

By |2016-12-29T15:31:13+00:00May 12th, 2015|Anxiety therapy, Intimacy|

Do you go to work each day feeling a bit guilty that you spent a few extra minutes in bed cuddling with your partner? Perhaps you get anxious on your way home from work, knowing that you stayed late to finish a project or deal with customer service problems. It's hard for you to give equal weight to your job and your marriage when they both mean a great deal to you. You don't like the feeling of having to take time from one part of your life to give to another, and it's a conflict that you can't seem to resolve. You know in your gut that your marriage is the key foundation that sustains you and makes you feel secure. So how can you make the time you spend with your partner special and free of work and other intrusions?

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