The Marriage Counseling Blog

The Truth about Falling out of Love

Amy Morin, LCSW — Sat, 04 May 2013 23:21:25 +0000

Falling in love is easy. It’s the staying in love part that is difficult. The emotions involved with falling in love can make you feel like you’re on top of the world. However, that giddy, heart-skipping-a-beat sort of love doesn’t last forever. Without taking steps to acquire a mature love, you can fall out of [...]

How Do You Determine the Health of Your Marriage?

Amy Morin, LCSW — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:52:44 +0000

Have you ever considered how to determine how good or healthy your marriage is? There isn’t a lab test or a thermometer that gives you a reading to tell you how you are doing. So, how do people know if their marriage is healthy or not? Unfortunately, for some people, they have no idea what [...]

10 Little Changes that Can Make a Big Impact on Your Marriage

Amy Morin, LCSW — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:03:12 +0000

Improving a marriage doesn’t always require a gigantic intervention. Instead, changing little daily habits can make a big difference in how you feel about your marriage and most importantly, how you behave toward your spouse. Whether you want to keep your marriage healthy or you need to reignite a spark, change some of your daily [...]

What to do When You’re Thinking About Ending the Marriage

Amy Morin, LCSW — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:14:28 +0000

If you’ve found yourself straddling the fence and it feels like your only two options are to stay in an unsatisfying relationship or get divorced, it’s a tough place to be. It’s also a critical time where your immediate actions can make a big difference to the outcome of your marriage. Hopefully, the third option is to [...]

5 Signs that You May Have an Anger Problem

Amy Morin, LCSW — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 01:01:30 +0000

Anger isn’t a bad emotion. However, the behaviors that people exhibit when they feel angry can make it a problem. Anger problems are at the root of many marital issues. Sometimes people aren’t aware that their anger is a problem (but often others around them are). The extent of an anger problem can be based on the intensity and [...]

How Divorce Impacts Children

Amy Morin, LCSW — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:32:05 +0000

Sometimes couples considering divorce minimize how much of an impact getting divorced would have on their children. Children of all ages are affected when parents separate and divorce. It can affect their relationships, school and behavior. Although most experts agree that if you’re constantly fighting, staying together for the sake of the children isn’t a [...]

Emotions are Contagious: What Does this Mean for Your Marriage?

Amy Morin, LCSW — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 02:01:37 +0000

Emotions can actually be like a bad cold. Spend enough time with others, and you’re likely to catch whatever they have (or feel). It’s important to take a look at how this can impact your relationship. What the Research Says For decades researchers have been studying how our emotions rub off on others. What they’ve [...]

A Trip to the Grand Canyon means Fun, Romance, and Adventure

Staff Destination Writer — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 14:49:37 +0000

If you’ve spent any time in America’s National Parks, you probably know that each and every one of them has something special to offer, from amazing history to natural formations that’ll blow your mind. Everyone has their own favorite National Park, and usually for a variety of reasons, but ask just about anyone who’s visited [...]

11 Common Problems that Marriage Counselors Can Help With

Amy Morin, LCSW — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:52:01 +0000

There are lots of reasons that couples may decide to seek help and get marriage counseling. There are some common themes that marriage counselors encounter when couples seek help for their marriage. Most marriage counselors are comfortable addressing and helping couples deal with these problems, but certainly there are many other common marital issues that [...]

Should You Lend Money to Family and Friends?

Amy Morin, LCSW — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:41:35 +0000

If you’ve managed to be the “go to couple” when people need money, the good news, it means you are likely good with your money. Responding to friends and family members who ask to borrow money can be a sticky situation. It can be difficult to say no when someone asks you for money. Money [...]

The Good Marriage

Dr. Maurie Pressman — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:28:37 +0000

Amor vincit omnia. Love conquers all. The good marriage. Is it possible? Do you want it? Do you want to keep it? These are the ways. Love does conquer all. But, it is not that romantic surge of love, which is sufficient, but rather the love that draws things and people rightly together. The good [...]

4 Ways to Improve Your Communication Patterns

Amy Morin, LCSW — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:43:08 +0000

When it comes to a couple’s communication, habits are formed and patterns are created. It can be difficult to change these patterns once they are set. However, when patterns are unhealthy, it can make marital satisfaction decline quickly. Unhealthy communication patterns can lead to a lot of hurt, anger, misunderstanding and unresolved conflict. Whether a [...]

Ways to Bring Back Those Loving Feelings

Amy Morin, LCSW — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:58:04 +0000

After years of marriage a couple runs the risk of becoming more like roommates rather than romantic lovers. Household chores, caring for children, stress related to work, and dealing with finances can cause those loving feelings to dwindle over time if they aren’t addressed. Sometimes people don’t bother to try and rekindle those feelings after [...]

Don’t Allow Electronics to Interfere with Your Marriage

Amy Morin, LCSW — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:28:48 +0000

We’re living in an age where we have electronic tools that were only dreamed about by past generations. Things we never thought possible have become part of our everyday lives. Within the past 15 years, the technological advances available to us have skyrocketed so fast that most of us can’t keep up. Many of these [...]

Should You Tell People if You Are Experiencing Infertility Problems?

Amy Morin, LCSW — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 14:30:07 +0000

Infertility is a very private issue, however, when people are suffering with it, gaining support can be very important. So many couples wonder, should we tell anyone if we are having infertility problems? There are certainly pros and cons to revealing this very intimate issue with others and there are steps couples can take to [...]

The Dangers of Negative Thinking

Amy Morin, LCSW — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 13:23:52 +0000

Negative thinking can take a toll on your mood, your outlook on life, and your marriage. Some people are just more prone to negative thoughts, however, it doesn’t mean you are destined to think negatively your whole life. There are steps you can take to address your negative thoughts and improve the quality of your [...]

3 Healthy Boundaries to Set With Your Parents After You’re Married

Amy Morin, LCSW — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 13:39:44 +0000

Parents and in-laws can play a big role in marital satisfaction. The boundaries you set, or don’t set, will impact your relationship in many ways. A lack of boundaries can certainly cause a lot of marital strife and sadly, can lead to divorce. There are lots of reasons why people don’t set boundaries with their [...]

10 Important Things to Remember About Marriage

Amy Morin, LCSW — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:20:46 +0000

When it comes to relationships, there’s a lot of advice out there about what you should do differently or how you can make your divorce-proof your marriage. However, a lot of marital satisfaction has more to do with your attitude rather than anything else. Keeping your attitude in the right place can help you to [...]

What to Do if Your Spouse has Depression

Amy Morin, LCSW — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 15:07:19 +0000

Depression can take a toll on a marriage. When one partner is depressed it certainly impacts the other spouse. There are things that you can do if your spouse is depressed to help maintain your own mental health and also help the marriage. Understand the Illness Try not to take your spouse’s depression personally. Sometimes [...]

The Seven Stages of Marriage

Amy Morin, LCSW — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:54:58 +0000

There are lots of different theories about relationship phases and stages. The book, The 7 Stages of Marriage by Sari Harrar and Rita DeMaria is an excellent resource that really seems to grasp how marriage changes over time. It not only describes the changes but how to take action during each stage to ensure the [...]