marriage, couples, husband, wife, sex, healthy relationships, relationship tips, friendships
Family Conflict and Mental Health: When Love Has Conditions Family relationships are often described as unconditional, yet many adults find themselves in conversations where love, connection, and belonging appear conditional to meeting certain expectations. Family conflict and mental health challenges emerge. Whether the conflict involves a holiday gathering, wedding, inheritance, caregiving, or long-standing family disagreements, […]
How to Cultivate Emotionally Safe Spaces In recent years, conversations about emotionally safe spaces have increased in workplaces, schools, counselling settings, and communities. Yet emotional safety is more complex than simply declaring a room, meeting, or organization to be “safe.” Every person enters a room or space with unique experiences, memories, wounds, beliefs, and hopes. […]
Human Being First: Moving from Human Doing to Human Being Why It Matters for Self-Worth Too often we forget that none of us were born only to do. We are not our relationship roles nor our job titles and descriptions. At home, we are more than “the mother,” “the father,” wife, husband, daughter, or son. […]
Boundaries in Relationships Most of us have had our personal boundaries violated. I have been asked in a job interview how much money my husband makes. The obvious answer was “None of your business.” Then there was the manager who patted my behind. Boundaries in relationships help all parties feel emotionally and physically safe. When […]
Even close relationships can drift. Life gets busy, misunderstandings pile up, and emotional walls rise between people who still care deeply for one another. Here we explore ways to reconnect when disconnect happens. Whether you’re repairing a bond with a partner, friend, or family member, healing begins with small, intentional steps toward understanding and trust. […]
As a therapist, I’ve witnessed relationship killers — the quiet, everyday patterns that slowly damage intimacy, trust, and respect. I’ve also witnessed small, thoughtful acts that strengthen them. And, I’ve had my own fair share of relationship challenges. Relationship killers show up in marriages, friendships and even neighbourhoods. I often see in my therapy practice […]
Why ask this curiosity question? Well, have you ever experienced a moment—an hour, or perhaps an entire day—when you deeply longed to be seen, heard, and acknowledged? Almost everyone at some point desires recognition. Yet many feel unseen, unheard, unacknowledged, or neglected. In my work in parent, family, marriage, group, and individual counseling—having spoken to […]
Almost every week I hear a client or others talk about a relationship they might end. “She drives me crazy! She talks negatively about her life, on and on.” Should you ditch the, so called, negative people in your life? According to motivational guru, Jim Rohn, “You are the average of the five people you […]
“Lean on me, when you’re not strong And I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you carry on…” Yes, we all need someone to lean on! It was at Sunday Service when Amy Bishop began singing Lean on Me, I thought of our world that often praises self-sufficiency and independence. Bill Withers’ 1972 classic, “Lean on […]
A phone call from Hanna, Alberta prompted me to create a talk called, Merry Love-making: How to Enliven Long Term Intimacy. It has been presented at numerous women’s conferences and a Foster Parent retreat. The women of Hanna wanted to know how to keep a long term relationship exciting, romantic, engaging, and pleasurable. Although I […]
The world needs more kindness! In some moments, on some days, someone feels hurt, sad, angry, frustrated, discouraged, worried or anxious. It might be you, your children, your spouse, your friend, your neighbor or a coworker. That’s a probability. Also, true is demonstrating sincere kindness can positively affect your family, community and, yes, the […]
Most of my clients seek individual therapeutic counseling to address stress, anger management, or intrusive thoughts, often stemming from childhood abuse and neglect, or generational trauma. However, I feel a special honor when couples choose to confront their relationship conflicts, disconnection, or dissatisfaction. Disconnection in couples can be repaired. The Pattern of Disconnection in Couples […]