couples counseling and relationships
Smartphones Part 2: 3 Ways to Stop Your Smartphone from Ruining your Relationship
In Part 1 of this series, we looked at how smartphone use was affecting your relationship. In Part 2, we’ll give you three ways you can stop your smartphone from ruining your relationship. These are techniques we encourage in our couple’s therapy sessions and you can try them for yourself or seek the help of…
Read MoreSmartphones Part 1: How Your Smartphone Is Affecting Your Relationship
In our San Francisco therapy practice, we help many couples whose relationships have been negatively affected by their use of (and addiction to) smartphones. It’s crazy to think how much one little super-helpful device can actually be the cause of so many problems in your life. Relationships today look vastly different than they did only…
Read More7 Reasons Why You’re Fighting With Your Partner on Vacation and How to Avoid It
Fighting with your partner on vacation can be an unwelcome surprise. After all, vacation is supposed to be a time when you get to unwind and take it easy. Though conflict is hard to handle and not what you want to be doing on vacation, it’s a fairly common experience. Many couples find themselves bickering…
Read MoreAging Parents: How You Can Keep Your Relationship Strong While Caring For Them
It’s no secret that caring for your aging parents is a tough gig. Especially while also trying to nurture your relationship with your partner. This is a situation many of our clients in San Francisco struggle with. And that’s because caring for an aging parent can cause a big strain in your other relationships, especially…
Read More4 Effective Ways for Dealing with In-Laws You Don’t Like
Although you love your partner, what you feel for your in-laws isn’t exactly the same sentiment. To put it plainly, you really don’t like them. And you don’t have to like them. Although there is no rule that you have to like you in-laws in order to be in a happy relationship, you do have…
Read More5 Relationship Rituals That Can Keep Your Love Strong
Things you regularly do in your relationship are actually habits. These habits can impact your relationship in ways you didn’t expect. Habits are a lot like patterns. Once they’re established, they just sort of unfold themselves without much effort on your part. Until you make a deliberate effort to change them, of course. Furthermore, these…
Read More3 Keys for Taking Care of Yourself and Your Partner When Their Parent Dies
The death of your significant other’s parent is a uniquely challenging time in your relationship. Your partner will be grieving in their own way. Depending on what kind of relationship you had with their parent, you will be, too. Whether you were close or not, the death of your partner’s parent will be a…
Read MoreWhat Happens in Couples Therapy
Wondering what happens in couples therapy? You’re having a having a hard time in your relationship. You know you and your partner could use some help but you’re nervous about starting counseling. This is completely normal! Starting couples therapy can feel a bit daunting. You’re about to tell a complete stranger, your therapist, all about…
Read MoreDoes Couples Therapy Work?
“Does Couples Therapy Work?” As couples therapists in San Francisco, we often hear this question. The answer, like many things in life (and especially in therapy), isn’t straightforward. First, let’s define what couples therapy “working” means. Does it mean that you will: Never fight with your partner again? No. Learn how to fight smarter? Yes.…
Read MoreAre you losing control during relationship conflicts?
Losing control during your relationship conflicts? Couples Therapy can help you. As San Francisco DBT therapists with expertise in couples therapy, we work with many couples who struggle with losing control during conflict. If you lose control when you and your partner experience conflict or have a disagreement, it’s not because you’re a bad person…
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