Personanlly I love this chilly and darker time of year. It helps me to slow down, let go of my busyness and start of focus on the meaning and value of waiting in the dark. Yes, waiting for the return of the light that continues to faithfully reappear in it's own time.  Read more »

When I was a Girl Scout we used to sing the same song at the end of each of our meetings. It went, " Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold." I didn't know it then, but that song had a lot of truth in it. It's not enough to make new friends; you have to learn how to keep your friends once you find them. After college, it gets harder to make friends. Consequently, the importance of maintaining friendships grows exponentially,   Read more »

I've been trying to think about how I could blog about this video from the Vimeo Festival called Last Minutes With Oden and segue in a clever way to some piece of wisdom about relationships and how much we can learn about loyalty and love from our furry friends. But, I can't figure that out. Perhaps I just don't want to cheapen this beautiful documentary short. I'll welcome you to share some thoughts about what the film brings up for you. Maybe you can share it with a friend, family member, or partner.  Read more »

In an intake session with a new client I always ask about their social support. I've always known how important a strong support network and social relationships are for psychological well-being. It turns out that social relationships are also incredible important for health and longevity in general.  Read more »

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about couples or family therapy? If you are a therapist, you might dread what may be your most difficult clients. If you are a layperson, you might imagine bickering, fighting, he said/she said. Who is right? Will I convince the therapist to join my side? Therapy traditionally focuses on solving problems and, in a conflict, there is likely to be a winner and a loser. There are couples who sigh at the thought of counseling as they doubt there is any hope for resolving their differences.  Read more »

We've all been there: you've just broken up with your special someone, said your goodbyes ("I don't think we should see each other for a long time"), and then, without warning, you start doubting yourself. Maybe it starts with an email, or a text, or a phone call, but before you know it the two of you are back together.  Read more »

In Washington, we're mostly accustomed to relationships where both partners are of the same political persuasion. Blue man with blue woman. Red man with red woman. But what if only one of the partners is green?  Read more »

In my practice, I get to hear both sides of a common struggle of the sexes: women struggle to find a good, quality guy and some of the guys who fit that description can't seem to get the women. What's this all about?  Read more »

Household finances is one of the crucial topics that I help couples discuss in premarital therapy. Those couples that don't have this conversation before tying the knot often end up disagreeing about it later in their relationships.  Read more »