Connect2 Marriage Counseling

Category: Tools and Tips

  • Premarital and Couples: Tips for Hearing (Listening) and Being Known

    You just want to be heard and understood deeply. Showing interest in your partner and his or her life leads to a great many wonderful things in a relationship. Below is a list of open-ended phrases for you to experiment with as you talk and listen to your partner (remember listening is not waiting for your turn…

  • “Better” Dads and “Re-invigorated” Moms: Happier Couples

    I read an article by Rachel Zucker on the NY Times website: “Honey, Let’s Get a Little Divorced.” One thing that caught my attention was Rachel’s wondering why she hears of post-divorce Dads becoming better Dads, and post-divorce Moms returning to set-aside dreams and “finding themselves.”  Dad takes charge of parenting more (without Mom’s interventions or criticisms),…

  • Twin Babies Talking: Early Communication Patterns Can Be Changed

    Check out this video on YouTube of baby twins “talking” to one another. As you’re watching, think about how you communicate with your partner. Here are a few things to notice: Take away the words you speak and put in “Blah, blah, blah” How and where you stand, how you use your body How much “air-time”…

  • Premarital and Couples: Treat Your Partner Like Your Pet?

    Tara Parker-Pope, NY Times writer, wrote an article called “What Pets Can Teach Us About Marriage.” Ms. Pope had read an article by Suzanne Phillips of Long Island University on this topic. This caught my fancy, because it touches on many good couples principles: Give each other the benefit of the doubt , i.e. look…

  • Premarital and Couples: An Affair Myth: Not Getting Enough at Home

    In her book NOT “Just Friends” Shirley Glass, Ph.D. writes about the research she has conducted about affairs. One result blows away an old myth: That the person having the affair wasn’t getting enough at home. The truth is that the person having an affair wasn’t GIVING enough at home. When you are giving to your…

  • 10 Tips for the Holidays

    These holiday tips are not rocket science. Nonetheless, they are important reminders for good self-care and pacing through the holidays. 1. Make a list of your “family of choice” and spend time with them. Some people on your list may also be your family of origin. Make time to be alone, too, if that suits…

  • Premarital and Couples: Mr. & Ms. Fix It

    Do you ever get into difficulty with your partner because: you want to fix it and can’t? you don’t know how to fix it, so you’d rather not talk about it? you’re busy trying to figure out how to fix it and not listening well? you think you know just how to fix it but…