Marriage

The choice for ambivalent couples is no longer binary: separate or stay together. Instead, therapists can help them craft formal yet flexible agreements... Read more

Premarital counseling is growing in popularity, and research indicates it has numerous benefits. So why aren't more therapists offering it? Read more

A psychotherapy icon grapples with the imminent death of his wife as she moves from palliative care to hospice care. Read more

Playing a traditional boardgame in a nontraditional romantic arrangement. Read more

Many spousal dementia caregivers struggle emotionally watching their life partners slowly decline. But I also knew that male caregivers, especially spouses... Read more

The fundamental goal of a good divorce is simple yet challenging: children must experience their parents as a working partnership that reliably nurtures and... Read more

With tens of thousands of Iraq War vets with PTSD returning home, therapists increasingly face the challenge of helping them with their troubled marriages. Read more

Are therapy card decks a clinical tool, a branding exercise, or something else entirely? Read more

Healthy, equal relationships require compromise, negotiation, and generosity. But when couples don’t have models for mastering these skills, they often... Read more

A seasoned therapist discusses the ethics around consulting with couples impacted by infidelity. Read more

Many traditional approaches to couples therapy are built on the assumption that if you help a couple clear up the emotional issues in their relationship, sex... Read more

A shared sense of humor can help couples make heavy issues feel lighter. But what happens when there’s no one there to get the joke? Read more

Rob rushed into his first session with me, gym bag on one shoulder, briefcase on the other, 10 minutes late and out of breath. He set his bags down, gently put... Read more

Mark and his wife, Nicole, have been in couples therapy for almost six months. But Mark recently requested an individual session, where he revealed he recently... Read more

Author and researcher Bella DePaulo says it’s time to start seeing the growing population of single adults as something more than just people unable to find... Read more

Diane has just announced she intends to move overseas to marry a man she recently met online. This raises an alarm for her therapist, but he's unsure about... Read more

Despite the undeniable harm that porn can do, we therapists need to bear in mind a fundamental fact: the overwhelming majority of people exposed to it don't... Read more

Over the years, I've worked with many couples who complain bitterly that the other kisses or touches, fondles, caresses, strokes the "wrong" way. These couples... Read more

The problem with a failure is that one doesn't really understand why one failed. If one did, it wouldn't have been a failure. But I'm not giving up on my... Read more

I've been in full-time private practice for almost 30 years. In that time, three patients in my practice killed themselves. Each suicide has left me... Read more

How much to share and when to share are issues that confront every couple trying to recover from the discovery of infidelity. I actively structure the timing... Read more

Are you working with partners who can't seem to escape cycles of criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling? According to renowned couples therapist... Read more

It’s long been the conventional wisdom among couples therapists that if couples fix the emotional issues in their relationship, their sexual lives will... Read more

If you’re going to help a couple get closer and really learn to work harmoniously with one another, whether in bed or anywhere else, the key is helping... Read more

A sex-starved marriage isn’t about the number of times per week or per month people are actually having sex. It’s one in which one spouse is longing for... Read more

Therapists too often ignore the importance of the longstanding, often unconscious stories that partners carry with them into their sexual relationship. Helping... Read more

When clients are emotionally worked up, caught in fight-flight-freeze mode, all their hard-earned skills in empathic listening and responsible (and responsive... Read more

Nearly 40 million Americans visit Internet porn sites at least once a month. Not surprisingly, concerns about the effect of porn on individuals and... Read more

Are you a therapist that's "marriage friendly?" It's the inclination towards helping clients in good relationships stay together. Read more

The therapist's job is to help client couples close one door and open another. Read more