Author: Norma Stevens
At the end of September 2012, I am completing my final weekend of a year-long course in the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model. This training has been a life-changing experience and has sharpened my skills as a therapist. The model is recent in terms of the history of psychotherapy. Dr. Richard Schwartz, originally trained as […]
READ ARTICLECouples often come to counseling with the expectation that they must resolve all of their issues in order to have a healthy, happy marriage. This is simply not true. In fact, marriage researcher, John Gottman and his associates, find that 69% of a couple’s marital conflicts CANNOT be resolved! That’s right! You won’t always agree […]
READ ARTICLEThe National Marriage Project of the University of Virginia examined demographic data and issued a report that concluded that U.S. economic growth depends upon healthy marriages and stable families. The report entitled, The Sustainable Demographic Dividend, says that when people marry and have families several sectors of the economy are affected such as health care, […]
READ ARTICLEPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has received more media attention lately with the return of soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq. PTSD is an anxiety disorder resulting from an experience of or exposure to traumatic events such as combat, car accidents, physical or sexual abuse, assaults and other dangerous situations which threaten death or serious injury. People […]
READ ARTICLEA recent edition of Time magazine reported marriage statistics from a chapter of a new book entitled, For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage, by New York Times reporter Tara Parker-Pope. The author challenges the standard marriage statistic that 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce. Time reports that according to Pope, marriage stability is […]
READ ARTICLESummer is here, and soon loved ones will be packing up to go on the family vacation that’s been planned for months. Family vacations can be a great time for making memories and connecting. We often have high hopes for a much-needed break from the craziness of modern life; however, these moments also can strain […]
READ ARTICLEAre you feeling sad, disappointed, dissatisfied, even angry with the way your relationship is going? Do you sometimes wonder, “What have I gotten myself into?” or “In the beginning, we were so in love. What happened?” or “This is not the person I married.” These natural feelings arise in all couplings at one time or […]
READ ARTICLEThe journey to a conscious, healthy relationship is lifelong. As couples use the Imago dialogue process, empathy, respect, and trust build in their relationships. Having a healthy, conscious relationship, doesn’t mean conflict won’t happen. In fact, it is inevitable; yet somehow, the conflict, though unpleasant, doesn’t last as long and won’t become long-term resentment. After […]
READ ARTICLEWith all the gloomy economic news these days, it’s hard not to get depressed. More foreclosures…people losing their jobs…credit card debt out of control. Could there be an upside to all this? Perhaps it is an opportunity for all of us to simplify our lives and reflect on what is really important. Hans Hofmann writes, […]
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