Click on the links below to join Dave Anderson and me for a chat on long-term committed relationships.
A client of mine told his nephew about the relationship work with me. The nephew was excited and reached out to his girlfriend to suggest seeing me. Sadly, the girlfriend’s response was, “What? You think we have such big problems that we need to see a therapist?”
First, I am not a therapist. I am a coach, even though there are some similarities between therapy and coaching. But more importantly, a response like that saddens me greatly. It shows that there are still many misconceptions about doing “therapy” or simply some relationship work. Partners who believe that you only hire a coach or therapist when there are huge issues miss the opportunity to learn more productive interactions when there is only a “small fire,” instead of the entire “relationship house standing in flames.”
Thankfully, I also have other more encouraging relationship stories to tell, like the following one.
Three months ago, I had a surprising call. A young couple, very dear to my heart, which I have been working with, requested a brief Facetime. My first thought was that they were maybe trying to work through a pressing issue. But, to my great delight, they wanted to share with me face-to-face the exciting news of their engagement.
I have known the young woman for eight years. She first reached out to me after a painful breakup. I have had the honour to watch her work through her grief and grow into a more conscious and confident woman. By doing her own inner work and getting clarity, she manifested for herself a relationship with a loyal, committed, and an equally aware young man with whom she can communicate openly and honestly.
One of their choices when they first got together a few years ago was to do relationship coaching sessions together right from the get-go. Did they have major problems from the beginning? Of course not. But they both were aware of how smart it is to create a solid foundation. They wanted to learn and establish habits of successful couples, for example, how to have productive conflicts and how to show up as a strong team with others.
There are many topics to talk about and potentially to work through to strengthen a new relationship, for example:
- the partners’ experiences growing up and their learned beliefs
- their unspoken expectations of each other, of love, of commitment, and of marriage
- how to actively listen, acknowledge feelings and communicate most successfully
- how to manage conflicts with others and between them
- how to speak about and continue having a fulfilling sex life
- how to talk about and handle finances
- how to be a team while having a sense of differentiation
- interactions, including boundaries, with extended family and friends
- ideas and opinions on children and parenting
Are you interested in developing the habits of successful couples?
Or are you even considering deepening your commitment by getting married?
Check out “The Course for Your Powerful Life Partnership” to create the rock-solid foundation your relationship deserves.
You can click on the links below to join Dave Anderson and me as he interviews me about this program.
You can watch the interview on YouTube:
Or listen to it on my podcast channel:
For all other inquiries, reach out for a free consultation. I look forward to hearing from you!