Couples Counseling

Dealing With A Shattered Heart After Miscarriage

By |July 31st, 2024|Couples Counseling, Featured, Grief Counseling, Individual Counseling, Women’s Issues|

Loss comes to us in different ways. One of the most devastating ways to experience loss is when it’s through a miscarriage. The promise of a new life that doesn’t come to full flower can leave one feeling confused, angry, guilty, and uncertain about the future. Understanding what happened can be a step toward finding healing and wholeness after miscarriage. Making sense of a miscarriage A miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of a fetus before reaching the twentieth week of the pregnancy. No matter the circumstances, it’s emotionally devastating to lose a child. You may or may not have known that you were pregnant, but the miscarriage comes as a surprise. Miscarriages happen due to various reasons. It’s important to remember that most miscarriages aren’t caused by anything the mother, or her partner did or didn’t do. Miscarriages happen most often because of genetic abnormalities such as having too many or too few chromosomes which prevent the normal development of the baby. Other potential but less common causes include hormonal imbalances such as insufficient progesterone; uterine or cervical problems; immunological factors which include autoimmune disorders and other issues with the mother’s immune system; bacterial or viral infections; and lifestyle factors such as excessive use of alcohol or drugs as well as smoking. Additionally, there is an increased risk of miscarriage for women over thirty-five years of age, and environmental factors such as exposure to toxins, radiation, or certain chemicals can also contribute to a miscarriage. Lastly, in some cases, the cause of miscarriage may not be identified. Whatever the potential cause, if you’ve experienced a miscarriage, it’s essential to seek medical care and counseling to address any emotional or physical concerns. Finding healing after miscarriage Having a miscarriage doesn’t prevent you from being able to have a baby in [...]

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Date Ideas for Couples (Including Frugal Options)

By |July 17th, 2024|Couples Counseling, Featured, Marriage Counseling, Premarital Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Life is busy, and even the most devoted couples find themselves stalled out and needing date ideas. Date nights are all the rage, but the concept is not merely a trend. Spending time with your spouse allows the two of you to reconnect. Think back. When was the last time you and your partner had a deep, meaningful conversation that wasn’t about the kids, the house, or other responsibilities? Your busy schedules might make it feel like you’re constantly tag-teaming to manage everything. Here are some date ideas for couples that can help you hit the pause button on life and reconnect with each other. Whether you’re looking for entertainment, active dates, or frugal options, there’s something here for every couple, regardless of your schedule or budget. Remember, the best date ideas for couples are the ones you will do and enjoy. So, put the kids to bed an hour earlier, settle in for a good movie and snack, and enjoy each other’s company again. Entertainment date ideas for couples Laughter and fun can make dates memorable. Sharing interests and hobbies is another way to reconnect and converse about something other than children and work. The following are date ideas for couples involving entertainment. Movie theaters or outdoor movies. Concerts or the theater. Theme parks. Zoos and aquariums. Museums and art galleries. Karaoke. Road trips. You might be tempted to bring the family along for a few of these dates, such as the zoo or a theme park. However, remember that this date time is important to the relationship. If you were dating, you would not bring your family. You would want to share the moment with your significant other. Let your spouse be your sole focus during these trips, and vice versa. Active date ideas for couples Staying [...]

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Important Questions to Ask Your Significant Other

By |April 10th, 2024|Couples Counseling, Featured, Marriage Counseling, Premarital Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Can you ever know too much about the people you care about? In some circumstances, you find out things about loved ones that change how you view them, and you might want to turn the clock back to before you asked and obtained the terrible knowledge. In most cases, though, knowing more about your significant other – even the uncomfortable things – helps you appreciate them more as a person. Why ask questions to your significant other? There are a few good reasons to pursue a deeper understanding of your significant other. Some of these include: It’s good to be and to remain curious about them People change and grow. Also, not everything comes up in conversation or by simply observing them. Being curious about your loved one helps them know you’re still interested in them and are willing to learn more about them. Helps you understand them better You can’t presume that you know everything about someone. Instead of making assumptions, simply ask them about what you want to know. That’s the case whether your relationship is new, or a decade down the line. Helps you avoid miscommunication and increase alignment Asking questions helps you avoid misreading situations and gives you insight into how and person thinks or feels. You can guess how a person is, but asking them allows you to act with knowledge and avoid miscommunication. Helps you make an informed choice Knowledge is power, and when you know more about your significant other, it can help you to make informed choices. In a premarital situation, for instance, it can help you discern if your goals align and if the relationship has a future. Questions you can ask There are a number of questions you can ask your significant other at various stages of your relationship. [...]

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Long-distance Dating: Overcoming the Challenges

By |November 3rd, 2023|Couples Counseling, Featured, Premarital Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Many people have said, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” But is this true? Can two people truly stay committed in a relationship if they are long-distance dating? To answer this question, we need to understand what it means to be long-distance dating. Long-distance dating is simply a relationship in which two people do not live close enough to see each other more than once or twice a week. Making any relationship work depends on how willing you are to invest time into the relationship. This is not just something that one person can make work. It will take both parties being intentional about the relationship. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, ESV Unique challenges of long-distance dating. Any relationship has challenges, but when it comes to long-distance dating they seem to be more intense. Challenges don’t mean that the relationship is doomed to failure. Challenges cause each person to decide how much they are willing to invest in the relationship. Here are five unique challenges that most couples who are long-distance dating will face. Local relationships and friends. For there to be a sense of trust there must be boundaries regarding local friends and other relationships. Financial impact of travel. Traveling once a week to see each other can be financially draining. Driving a couple of hours of week may not be as impactful as having to purchase an airline ticket. The emotional expectations of meetings. Since you are not seeing each other daily, there [...]

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Why Do People Have Affairs? 6 Possible Reasons

By |August 22nd, 2023|Couples Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling, Infidelity and Affairs, Marriage Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Why do people have affairs? Infidelity in committed relationships is an all-too-common reality couples have to deal with. Though couples set clear boundaries for their relationship, and they make promises to one another to be faithful, infidelity affects a significant portion of relationships. The question then arises – why did it happen? Was there something missing from the primary relationship? Was it simply a case of lust? In short, why do people have affairs? Knowing the answer can help a couple address the issues in their relationship and help them to consider their next steps. Why do people have affairs? Each person who has an affair, whether it is a physical affair that includes sexual intimacy, or an emotional affair that can occur without any physical contact, has reasons for it. They may be fully conscious of those reasons, or they may find themselves being driven by strong impulses they may struggle to articulate. Whatever the reasons may be, however, infidelity is never justified. It is a serious and painful breach of covenant that can destroy a relationship. However, understanding the reasons why people have affairs can provide a couple decide how to proceed. One might be willing to forgive infidelity if it occurred for certain reasons but may struggle to reconcile themselves to infidelity that occurs for certain other reasons. Whether you want to rebuild the relationship may hinge on why the infidelity occurred. Some of the reasons why people have affairs include the following: Hurt people hurt people. Sometimes, an affair is a response to a wrong they’ve suffered within the relationship, such as infidelity. One spouse may have an affair out of anger and a desire for revenge. To find a way out of the relationship. If a person feels stuck in a relationship, one way [...]

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8 Practical Ways You Can Invest in Your Marriage

By |July 18th, 2023|Couples Counseling, Featured, Marriage Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Marriage is complex, requiring many moving parts to work together in tandem. Sometimes those things are all aligned, moving forward without any issues. Other times, things can feel uncoordinated, causing struggle or uncertainty. Whether your marriage is riding along smoothly, or you feel a little out of whack, investing in your marriage can help. Having a healthy, strong marriage does not happen on its own. You must take active steps toward strengthening and fortifying your marriage in every season. During the times when your marriage is struggling and things feel off, investing in your marriage can help get you back in sync, increasing connection. When your marriage feels like it is rolling along smoothly, investing in your marriage can make that stronger, so that when something comes up, you can handle it together. There will be bumps in the road in marriage. Marriage is one of the most intimate relationships in your life. This is not necessarily sexual, although that is part of it. The intimacy of marriage is multifaceted. There is a depth of friendship, understanding, and working together that marriage requires. No matter how much work you put in, there will be challenges. This is part of living in a relationship with another person. These challenges do not need to be scary. Instead, you can do things together that help you face them as a couple, developing a deeper relationship along the way. Choose to do this together. When you and your spouse said your vows, it was a time of agreement between the two of you. Whether you stood before friends and family or it was just the two of you before an officiant, you declared your joint commitment to walking through life together. As you consider investing in your marriage, it is helpful to start [...]

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7 Topics to Discuss in Premarital Counseling

By |July 3rd, 2023|Couples Counseling, Featured, Premarital Counseling, Relationship Issues|

The proposal was accepted, the wedding plans are well in hand, and you two are making a great choice to sit down with someone for some premarital counseling. Whether you have been together for a few months or a few years at this point, you may feel that you have made a good start to your relationship. You may even think, “We don’t really need this.” Perhaps it’s a requirement by the pastor in order to use a particular church. Perhaps you were encouraged by your parents to get some counseling as a couple. You might be wondering what you will talk about in a counseling session. Or you might be afraid of what sort of things will come up in the session. What if the rose-colored glasses fail you? Will you still be in love? Premarital counseling can provide a strong foundation for your marriage. Let’s look at some of the topics that may come up. Love languages and premarital counseling The love language tests are fairly common and have to do with how a person receives and shows love. Understanding both your own and your partner’s love language can provide a helpful context for communication. The five commonly used love languages are physical touch, words of affirmation, gift-giving, quality time, and acts of service. Knowing how you want to be shown love and how you like to show love is a huge source of conflict between couples. A husband/boyfriend is great at gift-giving, but the wife/girlfriend really just wants to hold hands and hug. One partner finds acts of service valuable while the other would prefer to spend time with you. Have a lot of conversations together about what makes you feel loved, and how you like to show love. Style of conflict This may seem like [...]

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