If you are a practicing marriage and family therapist then you probably have a plan for continuing education and professional development. If you don’t, you should. The AAMFT offers excellent opportunities for professional development and skills enhancement for MFTs at all levels. One professional development seminar that looks promising is the AAMFT Institutes for Advanced [...]
One of the most important things to do before you and your betrothed tie the knot is to get pre-marital counseling. Personalized one-on-one pre-marital counseling allows you and your partner to get to know each other on a more intimate level before you get too wrapped around each other’s finger. Your marriage is like a [...]
Infidelity is one of the biggest marriage killers. One reason is because couples wait too long to seek counseling after infidelity is occurred, if they seek counseling at all. Of course, counseling will not help every situation. The couple has to want to overcome the infidelity and move on with their marriage. If one of [...]
According to Lisa Kift, MFT, there are 8 things you should consider – criteria, if you will – before you choose a marriage counselor. The 8 things to consider are: Therapist credentials or degrees – How was the therapist or counselor trained? Does he or she have qualifications from a reputable institution? Fees – Is [...]
Don’t want to see a counselor? Not interested in the traditional methods of dealing with divorce? Then maybe you’d be interested in one of these alternative ways to make your marriage stronger, avoid divorce or fix what is wrong in your marriage. Here are 5 alternatives to divorce and marriage counseling: The New Rules Of [...]
Do you think you can fix all your marriage problems in two hours? Jacqueline Summers, M.A. says you can – with a two-hour intensive. So what is that, you ask? A two-hour intensive is a two-hour counseling service that helps you get to the heart of your marriage problems quickly and find a way to [...]
How fit is your marriage? If your marriage is not the perfect model of marriage that you expected it to be when you were courting then maybe it’s time for a marriage fitness article that can help you see the light. Try one of these marriage fitness articles and test out what you know on [...]
Where do you turn for free financial advice in your marriage? Let’s face it. Marriage is hard. It takes a daily commitment to maintain peace and to seek an equitable compromise. You have your ideas about money and your spouse has his or hers. Those ideas you have about managing money in your marriage come [...]
Anxiety can kill a lot of joy – if you let it. But the bright side (if there is a bright side) is that you can control your anxiety. Controlling anxiety starts with recognizing it. When your heart starts to beating fast and your palms start sweating, do you recognize the symptoms? You know, the [...]
One of the things that the American Counseling Association does for practicing counselors is lobby for legislation that helps the profession be a better help to the people who need counseling and therapy. This past March the ACA approved the public policy and legislative agenda for the second session of the 111th Congress. Among the [...]
When Al Gore and his wife Tipper announced they were divorcing there was a huge shock wave that moved through the country. Why would such a strong couple end their marriage after having been together for so long? The sad reality is that marriages at any stage of development can be in trouble. It’s important [...]
Relationships go through ups and downs all the time. Most of the time the issues sort themselves out and we get on with our lives. This is a normal part of any relationship and the fact the parties can sort things out themselves is an indicator of a good strong relationship. Sometimes, we can’t sort [...]
Relationships go through lot of trials and tribulations and, while most people think that coming through these problems can make you stronger, sometimes the opposite is true. One area where many couples struggle is when one of them has a severe problem that requires support. We can often accept medical problems such as heart, liver [...]
One of the most paralyzing mental disorders is anxiety. It seems like such a simple thing. If you’re afraid of something or stressing about something then take your mind off of it, or face your fear head on and it will go away. Simple wisdom, right? Not necessarily. What makes anxiety quite a bit different [...]
If you are a licensed counselor and want to stay abreast of counseling industry changes and new innovations, what do you do? Where do you go for the latest information? What journals and publications do you read? It is important that you select your reading material carefully. Not everything you read about counseling is suspect, [...]
The theme of the 2010 AAMFT Annual Conference is “Marriage: Relational and Societal Perspectives.” The dates are September 23-26, 2010. If you are a marriage counselor then this conference is a must attend. Held in Atlanta, Georgia, the agenda looks very promising. Topics covered will include: Review how the institution of marriage has taken different [...]
If you and your partner find yourselves engaged in a power struggle you will both lose. Guaranteed. How many times have you and your spouse started arguing only to end up playing “one up against each other?” If it’s happened more than once then you have likely argued yourselves into a cycle. And you probably [...]
Anger is one of life’s great killers. It can destroy a relationship and, at its most extreme, it can lead to violence. Your marriage deserves a lot better than what you can give it when your anger is out of control. Below are five steps to helping you deal with anger in your marriage: Rate [...]
Traditional counselors have people so wrapped up in learning communication skills in a face-to-face meeting that some folks have difficulty believing that online counseling can be of any help. The truth is, it can be just as valuable as face-to-face or phone counseling. Online counselors deliver their services either through e-mail or chat. Either way, [...]
Do you know the No. 1 the predictor of divorce? The one characteristic of a marriage that will ultimately predict its failure? It’s not conflict. In actuality, the No. 1 predictor of divorce is the habitual avoidance of conflict. Many couples believe that fighting is caused by conflict. They therefore then try to avoid the [...]
Is it possible to get counseling that helps in one session? Jacqueline Summers says yes. Ms. Summers is a qualified couples counselor and she has been doing one session counseling for couples for some time. It works and her thriving practice is evidence of that. Operating out of Philadelphia, Pa., she also has satellite counselors [...]
Marriage counseling has its benefits, but marriage fitness means you’ll never need counseling. Think of it like this. If you exercise on a regular basis and take care of your body then you’re less likely to need medical attention. The same is true of marriage. If you exercise your marriage and relationship building skills while [...]
Free marriage advice is hard to come by. But it’s not impossible. You can get free marriage advice from counselors and other people going through the same dilemmas that you are going through by joining a forum about marriage and talking over your situation with others who might have some insight into your issues. Sometimes [...]
One of the biggest joy stealers in the lives of many people is anxiety. This dreadful illness can capture a person’s spirit and hold it in bondage for years. But you can combat it with the proper help. If you are feeling high levels of anxiety and aren’t quite sure what to do about it, [...]
A House bill seeks to put school counselors in front of troubled students at troubled schools. This isn’t a bad idea. When 50% of all marriages end in divorce and 30% of high school students never graduate with a degree, you figure there must be some correlation. It’s obviously not a direct one-to-one correlation, but [...]
Sometimes marriage problems arise out of other challenges that face a family. Then there are the times when marriage issues affect family dynamics. Some family issues that can cause or make worse marriage problems or lead to more challenges within your marriage might include: Adolescent behavior issues Substance abuse Child attention deficit disorder Family member [...]
Infidelity is one of the biggest blows to a married person’s self esteem. You trust your spouse to stay true to your vows and respect your relationship. Then, the unthinkable happens. How do you cope? First, it’s important that you realize it isn’t your fault. Your spouse made a poor choice. Maybe he or she [...]
Easier said than done, right? Remember the time when you expressed your love at every opportunity? And your beloved blushed or beamed with happiness. What changed? The fact that you are married? Now, come one, the love cannot suddenly die. But yes, now, you find other couples who seem happier than you. And yet, there [...]
Isn’t it strange for a marriage counseling blog to say that you should not continue your marriage? Don’t we always say that you should not give up on marriage too soon? Yes, we say that. We believe in saving marriages, so why change the tune? No, we are not changing our belief. What we simply [...]
