Clients so rarely get insight into their therapist’s motivations, passions, and why they became a therapist in the first place, but in our opinion it’s vital to becoming an excellent therapist. Skills and techniques are essential to doing good work as a therapist, but the why’s of becoming a therapist is what makes the real changes in the room. Next up in our series is Jaimi Douthit, Licensed Professional Counseling Associate. Jaimi is a wonderful therapist and person to sit with. She is comforting and nonjudgmental, while challenging your unhealthy thought and behavior patterns in a caring way. She shows up fully for her clients, and you can see that in her blog post sharing why she loves being a therapist. Check it out!
Read MoreThis week we are continuing our series of getting to know more about why each of our therapists absolutely LOVES being a therapist. Learning interventions and therapeutic models is important, but over the years since I (Erika) have been a Supervisor and practicing clinician have come to see that to do really good work, you have to love it. Each therapist I work with at my practice has to not only demonstrate excellent skills, but they have to radiate being completely in love with the art and science of therapy. Next you’ll meet Jennifer Anderson, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Associate. Jennifer’s clients adore working with her as she engages her clients in meaningful introspection, provides constructive feedback, and is willing to walk alongside the hardest moments of her client’s lives. Check it out and get to know Jennifer!
Read MoreThe Center for Couples Therapy website goes into detail about how we work, our methodology, and expectations for therapy, and with this new blog series we wanted to go deeper in sharing who our therapists are and why they really LOVE being therapists! We are passionate about refining our craft, being constant learners, and growing in our skills-but the most important thing you can know about us is we are truly honored and enjoy doing what we do best-providing quality therapy. This week you’ll meet our counseling intern Sky Yeater. Sky is wise beyond her years, an engaging person to sit in a room with, and open to having organic experiences with her clients. Read this blog post to learn more about her why’s-why she does what she does, why she tends towards certain styles, and why she loves being a therapist.
Read MoreI bet you do a lot of self-care…like showering? Yes, we think showing is important, but it’s not usually what we’d consider true self care and more of maintenance or basic hygiene. Important and necessary, yes, but taking good care of yourself, probably not. But you can turn even your showers, or any small moment of the day, into intentional self care in no time. Don’t get bogged down with all your holiday obligations, and instead take in a deep breathe, zoom out, and take a whole new approach to taking care of yourself this holiday season and upcoming year.
Read MoreSometimes the parts of my husband that irritate me the most are the things I’m actually the most grateful for, when I take a second to think about it. In this blog post, I explore some of the science and humanity components that lead people to notice each other’s flaws and zero in on them. In actuality, it’s far more helpful to focus on finding gratitude for our partner’s flaws. Check out this post to see how and why.
Read MoreThe holidays are a time for celebration, gatherings, and joy. But for most of us, holidays can also bring about awkwardness, stress, tension, activation of painful memories, and grief. It can be difficult to navigate through our relationships on the holidays. Sky Yeater, our Counseling Intern, shares several fun and easy strategies to bring some interaction and new communication to your gatherings this holiday season. Check out this blog post and give some of these strategies a try. What could it hurt?
Read MoreCommunication is key in relationships, and being able to talk freely and clearly will be essential as we move into the holiday season. There will be times you or your partner may need some time to take a break and calm down, or need a rescue buddy at a family gathering or holiday party. Check out this blog by couples therapist Jaimi Douthit as she describes a tool she uses with clients ALL THE TIME. It’s amazing simply yet successful in improving communication for couples in multiple settings. Give it a try!
Read MoreYou’ve probably heard so much about decluttering in relationship to minimalism that you’ve made a natural association between the two, but decluttering or letting go is actually a very small part of it. I think it’s really the first basic step, and truly embracing meaningful and simple living is much richer and deeper in context. Minimalism also doesn’t mean that you live with 12 items and that’s it. You can have as many things as you want, and I find it imperative to spend time feeling grateful for the items that matter most and contribute greatly to your mental health and wellbeing. Read on to learn what my favorite things are, with pictures!
Read MoreWith the holidays coming up, stress and tensions are high as families are attempting to make plans for the holidays. Whether you agree or disagree about how to proceed, these next couple of months are bound to bring tension in your marriage and family. But don’t let any of those external factors or relationships do damage to your marriage. Keep reading to learn how to set boundaries as a couple to get through all the hard stuff by growing your connection instead of increasing conflict.
Read MoreIf you find yourself having trouble in your relationship during the election, you’re not alone. Most couples are noticing tension and stress, whether they are on the same side politically or not. It can become overwhelming, and my biggest concern is seeing the space and division in relationships. Your marriage is strong, but big events can certainly trigger both of you, taking a toll on the solid, secure feeling you had just a few months ago. Read on for my thoughts and plea for you to show compassion and reconnect on this eventful day.
Read MoreIf you think the stuff you’ve been holding onto in your marriage to use against the other person or to prove a point and justify your anger is helping you, think again. Carrying your relationship clutter around with you like a prized possession is quite normal, but it’s also a symptoms of the deeper issues in the marriage and it’s really keeping you stuck. Learn why this is so and what you’ll need to embrace to make major changes in your marriage and begin moving forward.
Read MoreI’m continuing to explore the ideas around how relationship clutter is actually getting in your way at the beginning of marriage counseling. Learn the different between first order change (resolutions in the initial problems you’ve come to therapy with) and second order change (the shift in your relationship that heals underlying problems). By getting everything out on the table, your marriage counselor can help you filter through the mess and start working on building skills and focusing on what' really matters. After all, don’t you want an unapologetically amazing marriage? Yeah, me too!
Read MoreAre Minimalism and Couples Therapy connected? I didn’t really realize it, but the way I’ve been doing couples therapy for the past 7 years aligns perfectly with my new found love of simplicity, minimalism, getting to the heart of what really matters, and letting go. Learn more about how to Marie Kondo your relationship and why that’s so important.
Read MoreIn this blog post I explore aspects of anxiety in a deeper way and give you an overview of tips to help your anxious partner and yourself move through this experience just a little bit easier. There’s also a video at the end with more practical tips for communication so please check it out and share the blog and video.
Read MoreThanks to all the therapists from all over the place who contributed to this blog post. We’re exploring coping skills when both partners are out of work, specifically during the coronavirus pandemic. This was a question I received on social media and I feel grateful to have explored it in more detail.
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