While “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” may be fun to watch, no one wants to be dating or married to a Grinch—especially not at the holidays. Getting “grinchy” is roughly defined as being a party pooper, Debbie Downer, etc.. We have the potential to make...
The holiday season can be very difficult for many people. Some are reminded every year of childhood trauma. Others are reminded of a great loss. Others just feel sad, because their lives have never lived up to magic that Christmas promised. I don’t need to...
Before I became a marriage therapist, I counseled children in a middle school setting. I can’t tell you how many children sat in my office feeling stress and sadness over issues between their parents. Many cried. All felt pain. Kids came to see me at...
Thanksgiving can be a great time for families to laugh, pull together, make memories, and form traditions. It can be a time of lying awake at night in excited anticipation or lying awake feeling like the ongoing reality of COVID is destroying your plans. You...
One of the few conclusions on which people agree is that 2020 has been a very challenging year. We are living in a pandemic, a highly contentious political climate, in the ugliness of racism and are still experiencing the usual hardships that accompany life. Lots...
It matters what we say and how we say it. The heart behind our words matters even more since the heart drives our words and tone. During my 40 years of marriage, I have learned to speak 10 phrases that have made a difference in...