Blog
Tired of Criticism? You Can Heal the Hurt
What do you do if your partner, parent, colleague or friend habitually criticizes or belittles you? Friendships often will fizzle out if both people are not enjoying and supporting each other. When a work atmosphere gets bad enough, people often exit and find a new...
3 Tips for Getting the Most from Couples Counseling
In my counseling work, I notice that couples who make great strides in improving their relationships share a few characteristics. 1. Show up and be willing to do the work Yes! Improving your relationship is going to require work. Sitting in an office with a...
Apologize with Heart
Relationship Superpower #2 When you accidentally walk in on someone in the bathroom or step on your partner's toes when you're dancing, a simple "I'm sorry" is probably good enough. When we cross a line into behavior that hurts another person or impacts trust, the...
Making True Love Last
In the opening scene of "PS. I Love You" Hilary Swank, as Holly, stomps up the stairs to their apartment, followed by her repentant husband, Gerard Butler, as Gerry, begging her to tell him what he did to upset her. After much convoluted venting, Holly finally blurts...
Give the Gift of Listening
Take a moment to remember a time when another person really “got” you. Let yourself bask in the feeling. What did you enjoy about it? In my workshops I hear people say they feel safe, satisfied, elated, grateful and most of all, connected to the other person. Our...
The Power of Promises – Making and Changing Agreements with Integrity
The way we make promises, keep promises and change promises matters. A promise is an agreement about what we'll do and how we'll do it. Two of the biggest things that hurt relationships are when people stoically keep agreements that no longer work or break agreements...
How to Say No With Compassion and Purpose
Why is it so hard to say no? If we say no we risk being misunderstood and losing the reciprocal support we have in our relationships. For some of us our feelings of self-worth are based on helping others. When we say yes the love and approval we get feels so good....