June 4, 2020
Couple arguing, conflict, need help.

Contempt: The Deadliest of The Four Horsemen

Gottman’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse According to John Gottman, there are four destructive patterns of communication that can cause serious damage to a relationship. He calls them the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. So far I have covered Criticism, Defensiveness and Stonewalling.  Each of these patterns is capable of […]
April 27, 2019
Fred, therapy dog.

The Dog-tor Will See You Now: How Therapy Dogs Augment Counseling Sessions

Petting, scratching, and cuddling a dog could be as soothing to the mind and heart as deep meditation, and almost as good for the soul as prayer.  author Dean Koontz John sat across from Alicia, with tears in his eyes, telling the painful story of his father’s rejection of him in […]
November 28, 2018
Christmas Holiday.

You’re not the Grinch: You Don’t Hate the Holidays, You Hate the Work

“I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, but I’m not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel.”  Charlie Brown and the Grinch have something in common, the lost meaning of Holidays. For the Grinch, being mean transfers his lack of joy on […]
November 1, 2018
How to Sail Through Certification in Gottman Method Couples Therapy

How to Sail Through Certification in Gottman Method Couples Therapy

Reposting a blog I wrote that appeared on The Gottman Relationship Blog In October 2012, my business partner Alysha Roll and I travelled to Seattle for Level 3 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy. We were so excited to learn from the Gottmans in person and the experience did not […]
December 3, 2014
5 Things We Love About Our Couples Weekend Workshop

5 Things We Love About Our Couples Weekend Workshop

In October we put on another Art and Science of LoveWeekend Workshop.  It was our biggest workshop to date.  As we reflected on the success of the workshop we realized there are many reasons we love this work. 1.  We love seeing couples committed to working on their relationships.  At this workshop […]
February 7, 2014
Married couple

Power, Respect and Influence . . . How Does Your Relationship Rate?

We are just a few years short of the century anniversary of the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote. Much has changed for women in the last 100 years and that has spilled over into changes in relationship dynamics. For example, in the early 60s men were not […]