Couples want to talk about sex but often have a hard time starting the conversation. When topics are emotionally heavy with hurt, guilt, or shame, sometimes people think it’s easier to keep quiet. So couples tend to avoid talking about it and keep repeating the same patterns. One spouse asks for sex, and the other one […]

What topics are hard for you to talk about with your spouse? Money is one of the most common topics couples argue about. It doesn’t matter if you have a little or a lot, managing money together can stir up differences and emotions quickly.  If you have different ideas and spending habits, how do you […]

When Trying to Communicate with a Less Talkative Spouse Has this ever happened to you? When you tell your spouse about your day or share a story, he or she just looks at you with a blank expression. In response, you try to pull for more to learn his or her thinking too. You desperately […]

Finding Hope When Your Relationship Changes Do you remember when you used to think about your partner all day long? You couldn’t wait until you saw him or her next and would get butterflies in your stomach just thinking about it. Now fast-forward a few years into marriage and you probably have at least one […]

The Link Between Depression and a Critical Spouse You feel like you can’t do anything right in your husband’s eyes. And you are tired of feeling like you aren’t good enough. You worry that if you don’t get help, you will start to disappear or become depressed. You have created this great family, but you […]

When Fantasies Turn into Infidelity You were struggling in your marriage, and you started to wonder if you’d be happier with someone else. You started to search for old friends online and maybe exchanged a few messages with them. And then the communication became more flirty than friendly, and you found it easier to talk […]

The Devastating News of Learning Your Spouse Has Been Having an Affair If you recently learned that your spouse was having an affair, you are probably experiencing a range of intense emotions. You can’t stop thinking about the affair and feel compelled to find out everything you can, even if it’s painful. And you are […]

Last week we explored what contributes to emotional distance and how to address your own distance to be less lonely in your marriage. Most of you will naturally be more open, positive, and playful with your spouse when you address your own distancing mindsets and behaviors. But others of you will need some help taking […]

More married couples are lonely than ever before. And many couples feel hopeless on how to better connect with their spouse after many years of distance growing between them. While you used to be able to tell your spouse anything. Over time, you learned what upsets your partner and you started avoiding those topics. Now you […]

Engaged Couples Prepare for the Wedding More than the Marriage Over 18 years ago, I married my husband for love and companionship. Having both grown up in divorced families, we knew that marriage doesn’t always last and that problems can arise. Like any counselor-in-training, I tried to make sure we were prepared for marriage by […]