It is Tuesday afternoon, and a clinician in private practice sits across from a couple who have been coming for six weeks. One partner is in tears; the other has stopped talking. The therapist, who trained a decade ago in a general modality, can name exactly what is happening in the room — escalation, withdrawal,…
She was stirring her coffee for the fourth time when she realized she hadn’t taken a sip. Her phone sat face-up on the table, and her eyes kept flicking to it as if it might ring itself. Two weeks ago she hadn’t known his name. Now his name was the weather inside her head. There…
“Enjoy sex with your own wife. May the wife that you married when you were young continue to give you joy. May she be as pretty and beautiful as a young deer. May her breasts always make you happy. May she love you in a way that gives you joy.” (Proverbs 5:18-19) Pornography is sneaky…
Unable to conceive, Hannah longed to be a mother, carrying the burden of childlessness. In her desperate sorrow, she surrendered her son-to-be to God, entrusting his upbringing to a priest known for his evil sons. “And she made a vow, saying, ‘Lord Almighty, if You will only look on Your servant’s misery and remember me,…
Recognize whether you are depressed, understand how it impacts your relationship, and how to deal with depression. The post Am I Depressed? appeared first on The Gottman Institute.
Have you ever been told, “You’re too needy”? It usually doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s you trying to talk about something that felt off and hearing, “Why are you making this such a big deal?” And suddenly, you’re not talking about the issue anymore. You’re wondering if you’re the problem. Being told you’re “too…
“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” Psalm 55:22 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23 Knowing when to let go of a fragmented relationship is a serious decision that requires God’s wisdom. You can…
Most therapists did not go into this work to manage software. They went into it to sit across from people and help. Yet the daily reality of running a therapy practice often looks more like toggling between emr systems, insurance portals, and compliance dashboards than it does like clinical work. These platforms handle the administrative…
The conversation has stalled. You’re sitting across from someone you matched with three days ago, and for a moment the restaurant feels very quiet. So you excuse yourself, walk to the bathroom, and type into your phone: What are good questions to ask on a first date to build a deeper connection? Within seconds, you…
Emotions Coaching and Growth Mindset Dr. John Gottman’s approach of emotion coaching dovetails nicely with the concept of growth mindset. Emotion coaching is about helping your child recognize their feeling, naming the emotion, showing empathy and limit setting. When your child is frustrated, overwhelmed, or upset, you might want to fix the problem quickly or…