Mary Ellen Goggin
By the time a married couple considers therapy, the spouses are usually trying to save or repair their marriage. Couples therapy is often the first outreach, in part because its format is familiar to most people. One hour a week for several months (maybe years), a comfortable office with couches and chairs, a therapist with…
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Marriage challenges us to learn about the ways our most reflexive communicative patterns and habits might be getting in the way of relationship harmony. And nothing is more consistently challenging than communicating responsibly in the face of intense emotions. If you are married, the stakes are high for you to learn how to communicate with…
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From bliss to boredom, from soaring hopes and dreams to wondering why you ever got married. You may be asking, “Why stay in an unhappy marriage instead of getting divorced?” You may even have one foot out the door. Plenty of couples stay in marriages that look miserable from both the inside and the outside.…
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You talk about work. You talk about the kids. You talk about rush-hour traffic. But you don’t know how to get your spouse to communicate with you about things that make you a couple. You live in the same home, sleep in the same bed, share the same anniversary. And yet, your communication has lost…
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If you have had an affair, you may still be in a conundrum of guilt, shame, and indecisiveness. Surviving infidelity as the cheater rarely elicits empathy or help from his/her circle of influence. That outreach is usually reserved for the betrayed. It’s difficult to get an accurate count of just how many people cheat on…
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Yes, it’s possible to feel unhappy in your marriage without even knowing what constitutes an unhappy marriage. Unless you’re living in extreme misery, living in an unhappy marriage can be like slowly putting on weight, one Twinkie at a time. Before you know it, you’re taking an inspecting look in the mirror, dusting off your…
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The idea of swapping some of your vacation time and money for a marriage healing retreat may be new to you. You may not even remember where the idea came from, but here it is. And now you and your spouse are blocking off time on your calendars and wondering what this blind date of…
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It’s not about the money. It never is.And if you’re wondering how to communicate with your spouse about money, this needs to be your mantra. Funny thing about the green stuff — it’s at the root of so much consternation and discord. It makes the world go ‘round, and yet there’s never enough of it…
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