On marriage, doubt, recovery, and what actually happens in therapy.
Anxiety in children and adolescents is more common than many families realize. Worries about school, friendships, performance, or the future can affect how kids see themselves, how they interact with their peers, and how they engage with everyday life. In Hunterdon County, NJ, families are increasingly looking for creative, supportive ways to help their children […]
Finding Support for Gambling Recovery in Hunterdon County, NJ If you or someone you love is struggling with a gambling problem, you are not alone. Gambling addiction can sneak up on people. It may start as fun—buying scratch-off tickets, visiting a casino, or placing a sports bet online. But over time, it can become hard […]
The moment you decide to begin couples counseling can be a difficult one. You’ve just admitted that you might need some outside help, and that’s no small feat. You understandably want to make sure that the person you’re allowing into the intimate inner folds of your relationship is going to do the best possible job. […]
With a name like Prologue, you had to know we like a good mental health book around here! While a lot of important work is done within the walls of the therapy room, it’s at a maximum of one hour per week. There are 167 more hours you can use to deepen and solidify your […]
Dr. Jessica Koehler recently wrote an article for Psychology Today Magazine in which she discussed how the Fundamental Attribution Error plays a role in our relationships. As I read, I realized how much her insights reminded me of The Gottman Method research on maintaining the positive perspective. For today’s blog post, I thought I might […]
Just like when you announce any other life event, like marriage or having a baby, if you announce you’re considering divorce, opinions will abound. Your loved ones just want to help, but some of their advice will just be bad. How do you know what will help you through this difficult process, and what is […]
According to research by the renowned couples therapists at The Gottman Institute, partners wait an average of six years before getting help for marital problems. For many, this is because going to relationship counseling signals defeat. They wait for the major blowout fight, after which it’s impossible to ignore that they need help. But it […]
Marriage isn’t easy, even for the most compatible people. Over the course of a long-term relationship, things will inevitably change, and therefore each partner’s needs may evolve. While maintaining a marriage takes a good bit of effort, most couples who make it through those challenging times agree that the effort is well worth it. And […]
If your partner has just told you that they’re having serious doubts about the marriage, your first instinct might be to panic, defend, or placate (or all of the above!) But it’s essential in this moment to stay calm, even though it seems impossible right now. Your cool head can do wonders for ultimately saving […]
People usually keep their doubts about their marriage to themselves. I’m not talking about ordinary concerns about the relationship, or even feeling stuck in a pattern. I’m talking about worries about whether or not the relationship will survive. It’s scary to think about. If you tell others, you might get unhelpful suggestions like “go with […]
Once upon a time when divorce was rare, most people were driven to it by what I call The Three A’s– affairs, addictions or abuse. Divorce meant that someone was chronically cheating, repeatedly intoxicated, or physically violent. These Three A’s are known as “hard” reasons for divorce because they represent dysfunctional behaviors that impact human […]
I’ve worked with people in your shoes. You want to announce to someone that you’re considering divorce because you need some support. It’s a difficult and highly emotional place to be, so let’s set some guidelines to avoid making mistakes. One mistake is not telling anyone. When we do this, it’s often out of shame, […]
We generally assume that when people enter the legal divorce process, they’ve come to accept the reality that divorce is inevitable. Even therapists and lawyers tend to assume that when the papers are filed, ambivalence about divorcing is gone and the only task ahead is to help couples have a constructive end to their marriage. […]
Some of the muddiest waters of couples counseling are in the area of infidelity. What one partner defines as “friendship” may look like a budding romance to the other. This can lead to a lot of fights about what defines cheating in a relationship. Does it have to involve physical touch? Does there have to […]