Do you feel drained in your relationship, like you’re constantly giving but not receiving?
Maybe you feel responsible for your partner’s emotions, or guilty when you try to set boundaries. If this sounds familiar, you may be experiencing codependent patterns

Teens are navigating complex social hierarchies, exploring their identities, and often feeling pressure to conform or stand out. This can lead to increased anxiety, self-doubt, and vulnerability to peer influence. Recognizing these unique social pressures is essential for providing targeted support.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) isn’t just psychobabble—it’s backed by some serious science. This powerful approach has helped millions overcome anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges.

Codependence isn’t just about being “too nice” or helping too much — it’s about losing your connection to yourself in the process.

From mood swings to risk-taking, it’s all part of the brain’s journey to maturity. Understanding this can help teens and adults navigate the turbulent teenage years with more patience and empathy.

A healthy relationship isn’t going to fall into your lap. They take time, effort, and a willingness to make the necessary improvements.

For most of us, we have this perfect ideal of what the fairy tale romance should look like. This is further shaped by our media consumption - books, television, and movies make it look so easy.

Infidelity is a betrayal of trust, a violation of the exclusive agreement you make with a partner. This act of unfaithfulness is most often associated with physical actions, like a tryst or an ongoing affair.

Can we praise too much? Can we praise in the "wrong" way? Surprisingly, there are some things you might want to watch out for.  I'd like to give you some practical rules to help you make the most out of praising your child.

Is your graduate ready for adulthood? Are you confident that your child will make wise decisions for their future? 

The teen years can be exciting times to learn, explore, and grow, but they can also be a tough time of life.

There are several tips that are helpful to keep in mind when having a sensitive discussion with one’s spouse.  It is important that both parties are in agreement on a good time to talk, both are well rested, and both partners are not overly stressed or angry.  Today I want to focus on staying on topic in arguments.

Many times couples who have successfully worked through something such as infidelity say that they are happier than they had ever been in their relationship and although they wish the infidelity never happened, they may never had taken their relationship so seriously in order to do the hard work to get to the new place. 

I often hear complaints about bringing up the past.

Arguments can be challenging in any relationship, but they can become even more contentious when the past is brought up. I am always sensitive to both parties: the one who has to hear about the past (“here we go again”) and the person who feels it is unresolved, either within themselves or in the relationship.

I’ve heard from clients more than a couple of times that, while they wouldn’t wish an affair on anyone, they ended up feeling grateful for the experience. For those who truly come out the other end having done the work, they are stronger, more connected, and often more sure of their relationship than ever before.

There’s a saying, “It takes two to tango,” implying that both partners in a relationship are equally responsible for any problems. While this may be true in some cases, it’s not true in all. Why question the 50/50 idea of fault in a relationship? Because it can be detrimental to certain people.

Have you found yourself moving from relationship to relationship, struggling to settle down? Or perhaps you’ve had a few long-term relationships but feel like you’re picking the wrong partners? There are many factors that can contribute to feeling like your relationships aren’t going well, but one significant factor that can address many smaller issues is the act of being present.

Your wife is angry at you and you have no idea why.  If you are like most men, your spouse’s angry mood sparks in you feelings of tenseness, nervousness, irritation, confusion, and importantly, oftentimes shame.  If what you have been doing in response to your wife’s anger is not working it is time to respond differently.

Couples will have disagreements from time to time. It's a normal part of being in a relationship. Could it be possible that two people think the same way about everything? Statistically, that would be a very slim chance.  What are some signs that the arguing is crossing the line into abuse? Here is a list of examples:

Now that you're here, we'll dive into the unhealthy vs. healthy ways of coping and understand that there is a wide spectrum of ways to do it. One valuable tool in our coping arsenal is the creation of a coping skills list. This comprehensive list is designed to remind us how to avoid snowballing into an unhealthy direction so that over time, our brains can automatically cope in healthy ways.

I ran across a paper on Seasonal affective disorder, better known in the DSM- V-TR as Major depression with seasonal pattern or S.A.D. I must have picked that topic to study since I was from Massachusetts and like so many of us that moved to Phoenix, I never liked the winters there. Like so many therapists going through grad school, we often end up wondering if we fit into certain diagnosis when we are learning about them….