Connect2 Marriage Counseling

Tag: criticize

  • How are Exotic Animal Training and Learning in Marriage Related?

    How are Exotic Animal Training and Learning in Marriage Related? I hear a lot of complaining about what a partner did or didn’t do. A lot of, “If you loved me, you would/wouldn’t,” and see many behaviors that lack appreciation and leave a partner feeling s/he will never be good enough. Reward and Praise (and…

  • Your Relationship is the “Client” in Couples Counseling

    Your Relationship is the “Client” in Couples Counseling You have each made a commitment to one another and to your relationship; a partner bond that goes both ways. If that bond going both ways breaks down, and you are experiencing difficulty in your marriage, perhaps you will seek couples counseling. I see relationship counseling for…

  • One Type of Difficulty in Marriage

    One Type of Difficulty in Marriage I read the following description of a troubled marriage in Barefoot to Avalon, by David Payne. The book is an intimate look into family systems, pain, joy, dysfunction under the surface (think iceberg), and ultimately about love. There are many ways a marriage can be troubled, and this is…

  • Afraid of Hurting My Partner’s Feelings

    Afraid of Hurting Your Partner’s Feelings Do you avoid talking about certain topics because you are afraid of hurting your partner’s feelings? Many couples do. The proverbial pile under the rug gets so big that it’s a circuitous route around it. Unfortunately there are consequences well beyond hurt feelings when you leave things unaddressed in…

  • I Had No Idea How to Deal with Anger and Conflict

    I Had No Idea How to Deal with Anger and Conflict Recently I was looking at one of my journals from the early 80s when I was 20 or 21 years old. I came across an entry about an interaction with my guy of that time. It reminded that I had no idea how to…

  • Signs and Symptoms of Parallel Living

    Signs and Symptoms of Parallel Living As I wrote recently in my best tip for marriage – which is to take care of it, I’ve been thinking of the signs and symptoms of parallel living that I see and hear about. Parallel living overall is the opposite of living as an intimate married couple. If…

  • My Best Tip for Your Marriage

    My Best Tip for Your Marriage My best tip for your marriage is: Take care of your relationship. I realize that sounds simplistic, but it’s not. Love is created by many small acts, and grows. Deal with it While it’s Small Many of the couples we see at Connect2 Marriage Counseling didn’t address issues or…

  • Choose Your Beloved Daily

    Choose Your Beloved Daily A colleague sent me an article about a man who chose his partner less and less each day for five years. They were both miserable in their “immature love.” As I’ve written in many of my columns, you need to choose your partner every day. And when you find yourself choosing…

  • Increasing Number of Women Having Affairs

    Increasing Number of Women Having Affairs I’ve noticed the trend of more women having affairs, and have been wondering about whether others had also noticed it, and what the reasons may be. I had a look around at the research and found a Bloomberg article from July 2013 that reported research from the National Opinion…

  • Performance Review Your Marriage?

    Performance Review Your Marriage? A recent Wall Street Journal article, A Performance Review May be Good for Your Marriage, suggests doing periodic marriage performance reviews. I support this idea. Small Corrections Early are the Best At times a small correction sooner than later is akin to redirecting an ocean liner or freighter — getting a…