These are unprecedented times and we as a nation are being pulled tightly. Tensions have been exceedingly high as we waited for election results and it continues since the election was called. For months I’ve...
Category - Relationships
Lisa Brookes Kift, MFT
Codependency is an Attachment Issue
Aude Castagna, MFT explores the reasons people can be compulsive pleasers and caretakers, even in the face of toxic behaviors and to their own detriment. She offers some guidance around how to start the process of...
Now is the Time to Strengthen Your Marriage, Here are 14 Ways
This is a very hard time; our emotional health and physical well-being are being challenged in pandemic life. We are trying to figure out how to be safe, care for our children and for many, assure even basic survival...
Roadblocks to Forgiveness in Relationships
Richard Nicastro, Phd, takes a closer look at some of the obstacles to forgiveness in intimate relationships. Imagine this scenario: Your spouse/partner has wounded you in some way. S/he has now expressed what feels...
Richard Nicastro, PhD
Couples: Virus Fear vs. Virus Fatigue
Summer is here. The warm weather beckons. He wants to get together with a big group for a BBQ in someone’s yard and not worry about wearing masks or if the party spills inside. She feels strongly about...
Lessons from Writing Letters to Strangers
Elise Hu, NPR correspondent and Millennial (the “loneliest generation”), shares her need for connection during the global pandemic. In her worry and loneliness she wrote letters to 50 strangers across...
Men Who Chase Shadows: Secrets, Lies and Acting Out
“Why did I do it? I love my wife, I have so much to lose, why?!” Many of the men I work with are seeking answers to questions like the one above. They’ve acted in ways they later regret and, at some point, they had to...
How Will You Be Different?
As the weeks cascade into months of avoidance of our human kind to save lives, new norms are settling in. How strange to think that not so long ago seeing people with their faces covered by masks in the grocery store...
Relationships in Quarantine
The coronavirus pandemic and ensuing isolation people find themselves in will put many relationships to the test. In normal circumstances, time spent in “togetherness” is a goal and hallmark of a healthy...
How Remarried Couples (and any Couple) Can Make Small Gestures Count
If you think you need grand gestures to show your spouse love, you’re mistaken. One of the secrets to long-lasting love is making small gestures such as leaving your partner an endearing love note or holding his or her...
Terry Gaspard, LICSW