Specialties

Pre-marital Counseling

The journey to wisdom is full of many mistakes.

How do we individually and collectively deal with the “making a mistake” process?

How do I effectively prepare for marriage?

How do I not make the “same mistakes” of my family and friends within the first year of marriage?

How can I review a list of “typical issues within a relationship” to gain a foundational clarity of what to prepare and plan for within the first year?

Why are there mandated class hours and a test for many licenses, but not for a marriage license?

Rant:
For several years I have facilitated a 3 hour mandated presentation on CO-PARENTING to parents seeking divorce that share a child/children. I became frustrated that adults are required to get more education and pay more money on the back end of a relationship then on the front end of it. In my quest to find a more effective solution in starting a new relationship I came across the PREPARE and ENRICH program.

The Program:
Click here to find out more about the Prepare and Enrich program.
Observe this example of what your results from this online assessment would look like here.

The Quest:
We will overview the results of the assessment and discuss the strengths and areas of improvements as a means of establishing a foundation of expectations and boundaries. Establishing this foundation, in the beginning, is what yields a more pleasant start to any relationship. Many jobs require an “orientation” before you start your job, consider this your marriage’s orientation.

Teen Therapy

Teenagers don’t like you, and you don’t like them. However, I do not like being told what to do (teen) and it’s the behavior I do not like (parent). As a parent to this teenager you may find yourself out of options, which makes it more difficult for the teenager that needs you to create more options. In this case they have to create their own, and well, you can see where I am going with this. You DO NOT have to do this on your own! Add me to the support group for you and your teenager

One key option during this time is to extend the supportive network of the adolescent by incorporating a new adult. Teens benefit from an outlet where they can engage in a manner of debates and processing with another adult. This will encourage further communication and conflict management skills, as well as set them up to continue with this pattern throughout their adulthood. This typically leads to a more balanced home life for each involved.