collaborative
More and more this word has been coming up. When I observe couples talking together, it’s the thing you can point to that seems to be missing when they are at odds with eac
views on marriage
Marriage means different things to different people Here are some voices. Look them over and see if they resonate with you: Susan Pease Gadoua (author of The New R
relationships take work
Or do they? What does it mean that relationships take work? People say it over and over as if it’s a truism, like something your mother would say. But earlier this year I did a
what about change
I just experienced having some dearly held conceptions and convictions challenged by the following books: The Shrinking of America: Myths of Psychological Change, by Bernie Zilberg
confrontation
Confrontation doesn’t have to be so heavy a term. I think of it as pointing out something, calling attention to something.
Kindness
Life is hard enough. How can anyone be anything other than kind?
communication is hard (sometimes)
Sometimes it seems that communication is so tedious. For some couples, when they are different, or easily triggered, it takes effort to find and use words that don’t lead to
how to listen
Jordan Peterson. How To Really Listen To People. The gist: Look, what I want out of this conversationis that the place we both end upis better than the place we left
bless her heart
Here’s a passage, from a talk by John Gottman, the couples therapist, talking about communication skills: In Kentucky, if you end your statement with “bless her heart,&