04Apr

Relationships 101 — The Personal Side

I love relationships. How could I not? I did after all choose to become a therapist. And, after decades of relationships–both personal and professional–with many different kinds of people, I have gleaned a few basic truths. Most importantly, I have learned (which I think deep down I have believed since I was a teenager) that […]

01Apr

Relationships 101 — The Practical Side

“You don’t need love to make a relationship last.” I recently heard this quote at a speaking engagement.  The topic was marriage and the expert was illustrating how love gets us into our relationships, but that it takes much more than that for a love relationship to stand the test of time. For a relationship […]

01Feb

Married to Your Counselor? –The Practical Side

Life is full of changes. This week I learned that a friend of mine has been promoted and will move across the country soon. A few days after that, my phone rang and I was told a family member’s cancer has returned. And just this morning a friend of mine’s infant daughter was admitted to […]

26Jan

Can You Hear Me?

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” -George Bernard Shaw How many times have you heard “Talk to me for once!” or “I can’t communicate with you right now!” or “Are you even listening to me?” As a therapist in Orlando working with couples and families, I hear these […]

11Jan

Invisible No More

Relationships where one can experience the freedom to explore and discover oneself through hope, love and acceptance provide security and space to grow. However, relationships where abuse is present can confuse the very core of one’s understanding and expectations of what makes a relationship healthy, and of who one is as well.

01Dec

Crafting Gratitude — The Practical Side

Thanksgiving has just passed, and now I am counting the days until Christmas. I love Christmas, because I love giving (and getting) gifts. I love lit trees, delicious treats, and family traditions that have been celebrated and passed down for thirty plus years. And, yet, as I am getting older, I have come to love Thanksgiving […]

01Oct

Domestic Violence (DV) — The Practical Side

Whether you watch football or just follow the news, you may by now have heard that the NFL has put new policy in place to crack down on players who commit acts of domestic violence. This policy comes on the heels of a domestic violence case involving Ravens running back Ray Rice. Rice has been […]

15Aug

Building Trust

Many couples (whether they are dating or in a committed relationship) spend so much time and energy whirling around in circles. They’re trying to understand each other, guessing if the other truly cares, wondering if they are committed… mostly just trying to figure out if they can trust each other. Part of the game is due […]

18Jul

Can We Fall in Love Again?

This question is asked by many couples who find themselves in a place where one or both no longer feel affection for the other. They wonder how they got here, and is there any possibility they can love each other again? Dr. Sue Johnson, author of Love Sense, The Revolutionary New Science of Romantic Relationships, […]

13May

Building Your Sound Relationship House: Part 7- Creating Shared Meaning

The final step in Gottman’s Sound Relationship House is Creating Shared Meaning. This area focuses on rituals of connection, roles, goals, and symbols for the couple. Gottman posits that each family creates its own unique culture. Within that family’s culture, different things, holidays, traditions, etc. hold great importance. For example, some families insist that dinnertime […]