There are five stages in the family life cycle and the stage of parenting is considered the most stressful. This is the time in which divorce rates are at their highest, sex is at its lowest and couples feel the most disconnected. Here are some ideas to help maintain your relationship during this hectic time.

What is a situationship, you ask? A situationship “is often discussed as being similar to a friends-with-benefits relationship, which usually involves sexual activity without a commitment to be exclusive to each other. The definition further explains that “a situationship is often described as a relationship that is more than friendship but less than a committed relationship.” So what are we to do if we find ourselves in one of these? Below are some ideas!

There are a lot of things happening during the holiday season. Because the holidays are usually very nostalgic for people, it’s almost like our brains are primed to remember all our childhood trauma. So how can we survive the holidays with our romantic relationship intact? JHere are some ideas that might help.

Couples therapy is meant to address issues in the relationship dynamic. Each person we interact with can bring out different sides of us and sometimes we notice that there are parts of us that get brought out in our romantic relationships that we want to address. We see couples come into couples therapy for many reasons. Let’s dive in!

At Woven, we offer couples intensives as an alternative to weekly couples therapy. Couples intensives include 6 hours of therapy over the course of a weekend, typically 3 hours on Saturday and 3 hours on Sunday (all virtual). Let’s dive in and see if couples intensives might be right for you.

We would define betrayal trauma as betrayal that occurs in a way that leads to more intense distress than just a feeling of betrayal. A friend canceling on you last minute may make you feel betrayed, but your brain most likely will not code that as trauma. However, finding out a partner cheated on you or experiencing sexual abuse from a family member will most likely result in betrayal trauma because the severity of the betrayal would probably present itself in intense distress for you.

Self-care is an essential component of any therapeutic process, and it's particularly important in couples therapy. There is a reason why flight attendants on airplanes instruct you to put on your own oxygen mask first before helping anyone else. If you aren’t able to take care of your well-being, you won’t be in any position to help anyone else.

Almost anything can become an issue in a relationship because issues arise when couples fail to understand one another, expectations go unmet, or you are unable to regulate in the midst of distress. However, there are three topics that tend to result in some of the biggest arguments amongst couples: finances, families, and sex. Let’s dive in.

Trauma-informed couples therapy is a therapeutic approach that takes into account the impact of past trauma on your current relationships and behaviors. It recognizes that trauma can affect your ability to trust, communicate, and connect with others, and seeks to address these challenges in a supportive and non-judgmental environment. Here are some potential benefits of trauma-informed couples therapy:

Usually, when beginning trauma therapy, you may often feel overwhelmed, stuck, scared, sad, or even numb. You may express that relationships feel difficult, life feels like just too much, and every little thing seems to impact you in big ways. Trying to find peace, hope and joy feels nearly impossible. These are the same things my clients share with me when beginning therapy. However, as time in therapy goes on, you may start to experience healing both externally and internally. Let’s take a look at what external and internal healing may look like in therapy.

Most people who have heard the term “premarital counseling” tend to associate it with therapy for only engaged couples, and oftentimes with a priest/pastor. However, premarital counseling is an option for any couples who are either engaged, considering marriage, or considering what it would look like to commit to their partner long-term.

Depending on the type of betrayal, there are some things you can do to manage what you are experiencing in order to heal.

Myth: You need to be in a crisis to seek therapy.

Truth: There is nothing wrong with seeking help with anything you might be going through.

What is this pandemic doing to us emotionally?