Marriage and Family Therapy Discussions

1. Get Physical Together. There are many studies looking at what keeps couples passion and connection healthy.  Midwestern University showed that individuals felt more attraction to one another after 15minutes of physical activity. Exercise also releases endorphins which help you feel happier and in less pain. This creates more attraction to your partner and vise-versa as happier people are seen as more attractive.
2. Adrenaline! May seem strange but it is true. Research shows that as adrenaline increases between two people so does their attraction and connection. Try going to a suspenseful movie, theme park or if you’re really brave something more intense.
3. Touch one another. It’s that simple. Human to human touch releases Oxytocin (the love/bonding hormone) and this is linked to increased feelings of connection and bonding with couples. In therapy, I give couple prescribed, non-sexual touching time. This could be hugging, massages or cuddle time.

Need couples counseling? Call me 530-913-5054

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I often get asked from my supervisees what interventions I use that are so successful with teens that I counsel. Here is my reply: Close your eyes for a moment and remember a time you were doing something a certain way. Now, imagine someone who corrected you and gave you feedback. Can you remember a positive experience and a negative experience? What was the difference? More often than not the answer I get is how they told me and my relationship to them. Well, this is the answer.

The anxiety behind change is intense. Research shows that the biggest factor of change in therapy is the Therapeutic Alliance. This means the relationship and level of trust with your therapist.

If you are curious about your teen having a good outcome in therapy ask them these questions: Do you feel comfortable talking to your therapist? Are you able talk freely in sessions? Do I feel relieved after a session there? If the answers are YES then it is likely that they are on the road to positive changes and healing. 

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Depression can be so debilitating. In the US it is estimated that 10% of people are suffering with depression. Because depression is a mental illness it can be very hard to understand and to support a loved one who is depressed. Here are a few things that might help:

1. Help your loved one find help. Depression can take the energy out of you. If you know someone struggling with depression, encourage them – gently – to seek out help. You might even offer to help with specific tasks, like looking up therapists in the area.
2. Don’t downplay their experience. This goes for many things, but unless you have personally experienced it, don’t make assumptions that things are not as bad as they seem to the person.
3. Have a conversation. Talking helps. You cant always “see” depression and it’s symptoms. Even if things seem to be looking better for your loved one be sure to continue the conversation and ask how they are doing and how they are feeling. 

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You have likely heard of Life Coaching or Relationship Coaching. However, parenting is one of the hardest jobs and as I'm sure you know, does not come with a handbook. Through strength based sessions I work with parents to help bridge the gap between where they are and where they wish to be as a family. Parents who want assistance, coaching and guidance come to me with questions such as: Am I doing this right? Parenting is very hard and it's not something you have to do alone. I offer in home child, parent and family sessions as well.

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Increase your couples communication with HEARRT technique by Sierra. 

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