Let’s face it. You and your partner are very different. Not only do you come to marriage with different upbringings—you have different personalities and gender differences that make communication inherently challenging. You and your spouse may not be from Mars and Venus but you each...
Christmas is a time of joy and celebration but can also be a time of family tension. Unresolved family issues can surface at holiday gatherings. You may also find yourself having some unexpected responses. Oftentimes you can find yourself being pulled back into your family role such as...
Here at CPCC, we see many people who fall into the trap of depressive thinking. Sure, not everyone struggles from a verifiable, clinically diagnosable depression, but many people fall into that downward spiral when thinking about their lives. Thankfully, it is easy to see the...
In my book, Making Love Last, I talk about 8 things couples need to learn to let go of if they are to have a vitally intimate relationship. One of those is resentment. Oftentimes couples find it hard to move toward a more intimate relationship because one or both of them are harboring...
I’ve been in a transition season, which means I’ve been saying a lot of “goodbye” and “see you later” to many people in my life. As I navigate these closing moments, I’m reminded of two things: first, goodbyes are hard (and we don’t like them), and...
When the schedule gets busy, it can be hard to find time for self-care. Self-care is important for our mental and physical health. It can even help in being productive in other areas of life. To some, the words self-care conjures up a bunch of people at the nail salon but there are...
Quick question for those of you raising an adolescent or teenager: Have you ever noticed your teen making good decisions and being mature one minute, then acting irrational, emotional and immature the next? I’m guessing most of you were nodding your head “yes” as you read this...
Last week’s blog focused on the frustrating dynamic of Karpman’s Drama Triangle - the dance between the victim, persecutor, and rescuer. It’s a dance we may be all too familiar with and one that can happen subtly. But once we recognize it, how do we step out of it? Like I...
Ever reflect back on an argument with a loved one and wonder what the heck you were actually arguing about? Somewhere the conversation must have derailed. In any conversation there are two important elements at play -- the actual content of the conversation and the emotional subtext below the...
Marital research guru John Gottman is the author of the popular book, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. As the title suggests, Gottman identifies principles that healthy marriages embody. One of those principles is the idea of turning toward rather than turning away from your...
