One national study found that almost 20% of high school students admitted to thinking about suicide. If your teen isn’t thinking about it, chances are they have a friend or classmate that is. You may be afraid if you talk about suicide, you’ll make the thoughts more real and the suicide more likely to happen. The truth is talking about suicide doesn’t increase the risk, but offers your teen a safe place to explore feelings, ask questions, and get help.
Grief – Letting Go of Understanding
Have you ever experienced a traumatic or extremely disappointing event in your life? Maybe you lost a loved one or special friend unexpectantly; or a significant relationship ended and you were devastated. Often times, we seek to understand the purpose of these painful events. We may have many unanswered questions about the hurtful event.
Elements of Love: Commitment (Part 3 of 3)
Commitment. Passion. Intimacy. In today’s society, commitment is often the weakest side of Sternberg’s triangle. The passion wanes for one or both partners, and society has the EASY button of divorce. It is sad how many couples view this as a first option when things become difficult in the relationship. Make no mistake, marriage is hard. It also has the potential to be the most transformative and intimate relationship you will ever experience.
Elements of Love: Intimacy (Part 2 of 3)
Intimacy. Commitment. Passion. It is a triangle of love. Robert Sternberg’s triangular theory of love to be precise. All three are interconnected, and a healthy relationship has a balance of all three.
Elements of Love: Passion (Part 1 of 3)
Passion. Intimacy. Commitment. Combine all three components into a healthy relationship and you have what psychologist Robert Sternberg calls consummate love.
Stepfamilies and Discipline
One common source of conflict for stepfamilies is dealing with parenting tasks. Step-couples often find themselves polarized when it comes to discipline. Each perceiving the other is either too strict or too permissive. Guidance is provided to help the couple parent as a team.
Improve your Relationships by Increasing Positive Interactions
Do you keep score in your relationships of all the times your loved one has disappointed you? This can create a negative atmosphere that is difficult to overcome. I often tell my clients, “Whatever you are looking for you will find.” What I mean is, if you expect someone to disappoint you, you will only focus on what he/she is doing wrong, to prove you are right. I know we do this to protect ourselves from getting our hopes up and being let down. The problem with this behavior is we miss-out on the good things our loved one is doing.
The Power of [Just] Listening Well
Recently I’ve seen countless examples of people who are hurting, struggling, confused or angry – and they feel completely alone. It seems like the cause for some of the isolation can be traced back to friends, family, or trusted confidants who have no idea how to just be present… how to just listen.
We’re busy. Our thoughts are going a million miles per hour. We’re used to having so much information flying at us, that to stop, press pause, focus, and just listen requires so much discipline.
Cracking the Code
Consciously or unconsciously, we each have a code we live by, a set of principles, beliefs, values, habits, and biases around which we make decisions and form opinions. In fact, the lack of either a cohesive code or a harmony between that code and subsequent behavior is a prominent source of anxiety. Equally stressful is trying to live by a code adopted through force or assimilation.
What to Expect in your Relationship When You’re Expecting
The relationship you share with your partner must be considered one of the most significant relationships in your lifetime. Although parenting is the most important job you will ever have, it’s temporary in a sense that your child will leave the home one day, but your partner is lifelong.