There are certain times during the year that are special. Birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas stand out as three of them. For families, they are days filled with joy, love, friendship and, generally speaking, a lot of noise and excitement. For those couples who have separated this year, this Christmas period could be their first where [...]
The involvement of families in the therapy process is an area that is steadily growing in our society. In the past, therapists would often counsel individuals or, at best, couples. Today, the involvement of the whole family is seen by some as one of the best ways to build, or rebuild, a much better relationship. [...]
Are relationship issues affecting your work? Are relationship issues affecting your social life? If you have a relationship issue then there is a good chance it will be affecting you outside the home. People find it difficult to ‘switch off’ when they leave home each morning so any problems that affect them can be carried [...]
There has long been talk about making premarital counseling a pre-requisite to gaining a marriage license. In Florida, successfully completing counseling entitles the couple to a discount on their marriage license fee. However, should it be encouraged, or should it be made compulsory? It’s often a difficult area to address. Compulsory counseling, such as those [...]
Are same sex couples any different to normal couples when it comes to relationship issues? It depends on what you mean by different. When it comes to your day to day issues, same sex couples have very similar problems to those of heterosexual couples. There is simple reason for this – our outlook on life [...]
Relationships are never easy and the longer two people stay together in a relationship, the more prone they are to take things for granted. It happens everywhere, not just in relationships. Think of the workplace – if you do the same job day after day, you become somewhat bored and the quality of your work [...]
This is a highly controversial question, especially if there are children involved. The question – are all marriages worth saving? The answer – you’ll have to wait. Let’s discuss some of the issues first. There are two trains of thought. One suggests that sometimes you can make a bad marriage worse. The second suggests that [...]
There are many different forms of counseling. The traditional form involves one-on-one counseling with a qualified counselor in their professional rooms. However, you can also have group counseling sessions involving friends and families, or with total strangers. Counseling can also be undertaken over the Internet and by phone. The one question that everyone asks is [...]
So, you are having problems with your marriage? That’s easy, go and see a marriage counselor and all will be saved! I wish it was that easy. Often, it can be fairly easy. In fact, there are times when one session marriage counseling is very effective. However, humans are complex creatures and sometimes the issues [...]
It is normal for humans to feel anxious at certain times. If we feel under threat for any reason, our bodies set off a self-defense mechanism that prepares it for action. It is often labeled the ‘fight or flight reflex’, and quite rightly too since that is what our bodies are preparing for – to [...]
One of the most frustrating health issues for veterans has been that of mental health. In particular, veterans have been very limited in their ability to access counseling, especially when it comes to marriage, couple or family counseling. Yet, by the nature of being a veteran, these are the very areas that often required the [...]
Marriage is one of the most complex partnerships on earth. Forget your corporate or business partnerships, they have legal processes that make everything easy. In a marriage, there are no rule books and there are few laws that control how a couple interact within the relationship. Often, one half of the marriage can be miserable [...]
Couples attend counseling for a lot of different reasons. In fact, a marriage doesn’t have to be on the brink of failure for them to seek counseling. Smart couples identify problems and deal with them immediately instead of letting them fester. What is often forgotten is a follow-up session with their counselor. Follow-up sessions are [...]
A little while ago we talked about why married men needed to talk about marriage. Single men also need to talk about marriage, especially if they are about to take the walk down the aisle. There are a lot of myths surrounding marriages and the changes that people go through and while some are true, [...]
Grandparents get divorced too, you know? And in ever increasing numbers. Grandparents are also remarrying, again, in ever increasing numbers. What grandparents aren’t doing is accessing counseling – in ever increasing numbers. There seems to be a philosophy that counseling is for younger people and not for the elderly. I have news for those who [...]
Do you know anyone who’s relationship fell apart and then months later came together again? It happens quite frequently and if you were to run a microscope over their relationship, you will most likely find one common thread – friendship. Not common friends, although they can help. We are talking about friendship with each other. [...]
One of the benefits of a mobile and Internet savvy society is that information is easily shared. Today, we are learning and sharing new data and new techniques that ultimately help families survive as a single healthy and happy unit. However, we still see a large number of relationships fail so, over time, blended marriages [...]
Infidelity in a relationship is often one of the hardest problems to overcome, yet rarely is it a serious sign that a relationship is over. There are couples that are completely devoted to one another yet involved with others outside the relationship. Of course, let’s not kid one another, infidelity can also mean the relationship [...]
There are thousands of self-help books around at present and many of them are online in the form of PDFs. Some can be quite costly too. But, really, can you find reliable relationship advice in one of those self-help books? It’s certainly an interesting question and for many it would hinge on that word ‘reliable’. [...]
Marriages are almost always strengthened when problems are dealt with effectively and conclusively, and that even includes agreeing to disagree. However, in most marriages the perceived problem is often not the real problem. While the parties may feel the perceived problem has been resolved, the real problem remains, often festering away ready to explode again. [...]
Married men need to talk about marriage, and it’s healthy to talk about it with other men outside of your marriage. Why would a married man need to talk to someone other than his spouse? There are a number of reasons. Talking with other men about issues that arise in your marriage can lead to [...]
Anxiety has been described as a roller coaster ride. Indeed, it is. It can really make a person feel like they’ve just crawled off a triple-loop skyscraping train on a monorail. So what are the symptoms of anxiety? For starters, it makes your heart beat faster. You know that wild rush feeling you get when [...]
An article at Counseling Today Online on play therapy explains how influential this type of therapy can be with children ages 3-12. But, for the record, it is becoming increasingly more useful in providing helpful therapy for adolescents and adults. Play therapy allows children without abstract thinking abilities and the vocabulary to communicate their concerns [...]
It is easy to think that marriage and family therapists don’t need supervision, however, many professional counselors and therapists do not work in private practice. Rather, they work in an office co-op or counseling center with several other counselors. The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy has a handbook designed to help supervisors of [...]
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that recent research has shown that families with at least one autistic child are twice as likely to end in divorce as those without. Autism can create a lot of stress in relationships, especially amongst parents that are young and lacking in worldly experiences. What is surprising is that [...]
There are many parents that are going through relationship issues and many of them feel they are cushioning their children from the impact quite well. The reality is, no matter how much you try to hide these issues, children to notice them and they can be affected by them. Sometimes, rather than try to cushion [...]
They were once your best friend but now they are just a stranger. You sit on the couch and exchange simple monosyllabic responses. One of you may even reek of alcohol, or be under the influence of something more powerful. You no longer share bank accounts, the trust has gone. As you sit there, you [...]
Call it overwhelming dread, or anxiety. Or panic attacks. Whatever you call it, it’s not fun. In fact, it’s downright scary. We understand. If you’re wanting to seek relief from the midnight sweats, the pounding heart, the irrational fears, then seek out an anxiety therapist. Find someone you can talk to who will understand and [...]
Are you a graduate of a marriage and family therapy program or a program in counseling and interested in setting up a private practice? Do you know the steps to take to get your private practice operational and to market it? If not then you can learn all about how to set up a private [...]
What is the Commission On Accreditation? Its acronym is COAMFTE, which stands for Commission On Accreditation For Marriage And Family Therapy Education. Now, that’s a mouth full. So what is it? The COAMFTE is an accreditation body that accredits master’s, doctoral, and post-graduate degree programs in marriage and family therapy throughout the U.S. and Canada. [...]
