Questions and Answers

While these relationships can be complex and tricky at times, there are ways of navigating them to create a harmonious family life. A key strategy to use when managing in-law dynamics is maintaining a united front.

When it comes to parenting, understanding your child’s temperament can provide important insight into what strategies might work better than others.

Most of us on occasion have struggled with partner differences, which makes it no surprise that wanting a partner to change is common for most relationships. With this in mind, let’s find out what Cloutier & Peetz (2016) says about relationship satisfacti...

Break-ups can hurt. It doesn’t matter if you were the one that initiated the split or the one that was told the relationship wasn’t going to work anymore. Either way, something and someone that you once cared about, dedicated time to, and sacrificed for,

Research shows that the overall well-being of parents has a direct impact on the well-being and development of their child. Keeping a gratitude journal is one of those small things that can help you feel less stressed! Gratitude is acknowledging the good

The list can go on and on. All this rushing about can result in feeling a desperate need for more time to spend enjoying our family. Some adjustments may be needed to adapt to all the hustle and bustle. How do we spend our time wisely?

In this video Ashley, Gabi and Melissa discuss how to work through grief during the holidays. They offers several methods for managing grief and loss during a difficult holiday season.

Some of the most treasured relationships that exist in families are relationships between parents and children. These can be the source of the greatest joys, but likewise the source of the greatest pains.

Did you know that playing as a family is not just fun but also an investment in your child’s development and the strength of your family’s relationship?

In this video Elizabeth Davis will discuss how to work through religious differences with your partner. She offers several methods for discussion and understanding.

While retirement can and should be a joyous period, it can also bring contention and changes to marital relationships. Research shows that couple satisfaction often increases in retirement years, but also shows that there is a transition period that can

Social emotional learning is valuable for children and their outlooks on life, as well as the development of problem-solving skills and perseverance in everyday activities.

Resentment in relationships could potentially be traced back to feeling we have been mistreated, neglected, or taken advantage of. As a result of such strong feelings, the positive emotions of love and trust can weaken.

When trying to gain clarity on what your boundaries you should have in your romantic relationship, start by identifying what makes you feel uncomfortable during your interactions.

"The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.” The profound effects of loneliness can be felt by anyone and are best helped by a strong community.

Family and loved ones are not immune to this mental health condition's impact on the lives of their loved ones and often themselves. Family and loved ones are frequently the first to notice changes in their loved one's behaviors, emotions, or thinking whe...

Researchers and therapists have found several effective strategies for reducing pornography use. If you’re trying to avoid pornography, consider some of the following research-based and clinically tested strategies.

In these videos the Be Epic, Escape the Vape team go over Parent Awareness, Parent Perception and Parent Involvement to help parents prevent youth from using e-cigarettes.

Coparenting is important for children’s well-being but can be challenging. By understanding supportive vs. non-supportive coparenting strategies, as well as tips for effectively resolving conflicts, parents can develop a health coparenting relationship.

Sharing family stories is also a powerful way to strengthen and unite family members. Family stories with examples of overcoming challenges can help younger generations find strength to overcome their own struggles.

Valentine’s Day is here again and if you are like most couples, this is the one day out of the year when you make it a point to celebrate your love by going out for a nice evening and giving each other gifts and cards with sentimental messages.

The most common resolutions often revolve around improving personal health through diet and exercise. In addition to these promises for improvement, perhaps it is also a great time to make “relationship resolutions” that include commitments to becoming a

At some point or another, most people have had the experience of misunderstanding their partner. Sometimes people don’t say what is really on their minds.

There are things that won’t be cleaned every week but, at least once a month everything in each room will be cleaned. This was life changing for my family.

Learning to strengthen your parental attachment with your teens can help them develop choice and responsibility without dangerous behaviors. Start today by setting limits, showing respect, supporting safe exploration, and regulating your emotions.

Parenting teens with a focus on patience and love is crucial. Start this practice today by creating safety, staying connected, and instilling confidence in your teens.

As much as we want the emotional obsession to continue forever, it would be difficult to sustain as we wouldn’t get anything accomplished because we would constantly be thinking of love.

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health diagnoses, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates that 48 million people experience one of the several types of anxiety disorders at some point in their lives.

While we are all learning to navigate these changes in addition to other normal life challenges, parents also have the added responsibility to help their children. Consider these tips on how to help your child successfully navigate changes.

Afterschool programs provide opportunities for youth who may be struggling with social interactions to better understand situations around them and find healthy outlets and coping strategies.

Pornography use commonly causes issues in couple relationships, such as reduced trust, relationship quality, and long-term sexual quality.

The first day of school seems to come more quickly each year. It can be difficult to see summer end and get back into the day-to-day responsibilities of classes and homework.

Dad needs the chance to be involved and to have opportunities to bond with his baby as well. How can dad share the joy and the work of this new bundle of love?

One of the most challenging things for many parents is figuring out how to deal with their child’s misbehavior. It can be incredibly frustrating for parents when children don’t do what they ask or do just the opposite of what they want them to do.

“Studies show that the average child with ADHD has one to two negative interactions per minute with parents, peers, and teachers if you extrapolate, that’s half a million negative interactions a year,”

Excessive screen time may lead to challenges such as not enough outdoor or physical activity, less interaction with family or friends, sleep challenges and increased mood problems (depression, anxiety, etc.).

Having children is great, but about 67% of new parents experience a drop in marital satisfaction after a new birth of a child. So, with so many things going on, what can you do to nourish your relationship with your spouse?

Though emotions are extremely beneficial for connecting, it is also important to remember that emotions can have just as much of a negative effect as a positive effect in a relationship.

It is easy to lose patience in daily hassles, interpersonal relationships, and life hardships. Patience helps us achieve our goals, improves relationships, and improves wellbeing. It might be easy to recognize that patience improves wellbeing, but it is h...

A confident child is one who has a positive self-image, speaks positively about themselves, knows that they are loved unconditionally, can do things for themselves, and, have all the tools they need to believe they can do hard things. Where do you, as a

When most new relationships are formed, there is often a feeling of excitement and anticipation surrounding the “newness” of the relationship. But for all couples, at some point, the newness wears off and the reality of stresses and imperfections arise.

During the school year, children have routines and scheduled activities, so by making a summer schedule, including planned summer camps and events, children will have some consistency between both households.

It might sound strange, but have you ever considered how much dating is like doing a research project? I say this because at the beginning, when you are first getting to know each other, both of you are collecting data.

Differences in religious beliefs or spirituality can be a source of pain and discontent if not addressed in a respectful and accepting manner. There are many mixed faith marriages and relationships that are able to thrive despite having significantly dif

In moments of distress, you may wonder, “How can I stop feeling like this?”According to dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), an evidence-based psychotherapy model, you have four ways to respond to difficult emotions in any situation (Linehan, 2015).

When you hear, “date night,” what do you picture? Whether it’s been years since your last date night or you’re looking for ways to shake up your routine, we’ve got a few ideas for you.

Here are some calming practices you can try at the end of a stressful day to calm your mind and body. This will reduce the negative impacts stress can have on your health and relationships.

Telling someone you are not interested in dating them is uncomfortable and can be a painful experience. Here are a few principles that can be applied to a variety of circumstances.

We all have personal boundaries that we want to be respected. This includes boundaries in romantic relationships, but how do we know if these rules we set are healthy?

There is no one size fits all when it comes to balancing work time and family time. Remember that work-family balance is a process, not a one-time achievement (Lupu & Ruiz-Castro, 2021). Consistent small steps of improvement ensure that changes can be mai...

Many families with adult stepchildren go through the same difficulties as those with younger stepchildren. Adjusting to later-life stepfamilies can be challenging, but there are some steps that both parents and adult children can take to ease the transiti...

The benefits connected to cooking are truly amazing and can enhance life, but there is also a benefit for marriage relationships.

Have you ever been in a situation where your child has a meltdown that includes crying, screaming, or lashing out at objects or other people? Often times these behaviors occur when a child is tired, hungry, or frustrated, and isn’t able to communicate how...

Let’s discuss how to find someone you believe to be competent in the care of your child and the affordability of care.

Have you ever been so upset with your partner that you can’t think straight? It is normal to have moments of frustration and anger in relationships. How we manage strong emotions in our relationships is what matters.

Adults often find it more difficult to develop new friendships or maintain existing friendships. However, you are never too old, and it is never too late to reach out to old friends or make new friends.

Family volunteer projects are a powerful way to build family relationships by accomplishing a common goal together. Family volunteering provides members a way to grow relationships as they learn more about each other, see each other giving service, and h

Blame can be a quick route to arguments and resentment. Here are five tips for how to start expressing yourself with loved ones without blame:

In a busy world with instant access to technology and constant stimulation, it has never been more important to slow down and live in the present moment, or in other words, to be mindful.

According to Bradberry & Greaves (2009), relationship management is how you build a bond with others over time. Maintaining a healthy relationship in which both partners’ needs are being met takes work, effort, and understanding.

While it can be challenging to not feel guilty for taking time for self-care, we can’t effectively offer love, support, and connection when we are tapped out.

January brings a fresh start and new goals. While many people often think about individual goals, couple and family goals are important too!

To curtail uncomfortable situations during the holiday season it pays to be prepared. The following suggestions will help you establish guidelines that can give you confidence as you face the holidays.

By implementing these tips with your coworker, family member, partner, or others who have different opinions, you will be better equipped to have productive dialogue about seemingly irreconcilable issues.

Each holiday season brings with it a new fancy game or tech gadget that is requested by children. Whether it is the latest model of a cell phone or the newest gaming system, or even the highest ‘learning’ games for your toddlers, when it comes to technolo...

Supportive and ongoing communication is essential to healthy relationships but requires active participation from all sides. We can start by following these tips to build an environment in which our closed-off partners feel safe opening up.

Have you ever watched a stranger from across the room and tried to figure out how they are feeling? You were probably looking for clues like their body language, the tone of their voice, and their facial expressions. Whether you realized it or not, you we...

Most people do not automatically trust someone they do not know. They determine trust by giving a little of it at the beginning of the relationship, observing behavior, and then giving or rescinding it based on their perception of the person's behavior.

Harvard Health shows that couples who show gratitude for their partner, and who express that gratitude regularly, feel more positively towards their partner (Harvard Health, 2021). Research has even shown that expressing gratitude releases oxytocin or th

There are many steps one can take to combat feelings of loneliness and poor mental health during the holiday season. Taking steps from the examples provided may help improve your mood and help abate loneliness.

Gaslighting has become a popular phrase in the past few years - one that you might hear tossed around in casual conversations. It refers to a manipulative tactic employed by someone to make another person doubt their memory or feel “crazy” (Johnson, 2021)...

Parents want their children to succeed in life and hope that participation in these activities will help them do that. Enriching a child’s life is a good thing, however, overscheduling can take a toll on you, your child and your family.

Parenting plans coordinate rules, schedules, schooling, and transitions between homes. When creating a parenting plan, parents should be flexible, committed, and considerate of their children’s perspective.

Why do individuals often wait to charge their emotional health batteries? It takes practice to notice when one’s emotional battery is low.

The move to college is like standing on the end of the high dive. Students are assured that once they’re in the water life is great, but the fall still seems incredibly scary. Watching a child take this leap can be equally terrifying for parents.Here are

Although loneliness is a challenge for many, there is much we can do to overcome loneliness. Consider the following tips to combat loneliness:

How can we avoid the guilt and better balance our child’s needs with life’s demands? Quality time and some good old fashion play.

Research shows there is power in families eating together. The physical benefits of a healthy meal are important, but emotional health and family wellness are also developed by consistently enjoying meals together (Lawrence & Plisco, 2017).

Parents want the best for their children, including giving them needed emotional support. While positive encouragement may seem like a good parenting concept, research has shown that encouragement actually improves children’s behavior.

Having self-awareness means being able to identify our emotions and triggers, which helps us understand why we feel the way we do. It is through this process that we identify areas in need of improvement.

If you are a newlywed (or soon to be newlywed) and wondering how you can set your marriage up for success here are some researched-backed tips to help you in that process.

For many parents the teen years are frustrating as their children’s mood and attitudes change and progress to maturity. But there are some things parents can do to encourage teens to be more open.

Relationships can be one of the greatest joys in life. Relationships can also be complicated. So, how do you know if you are in a healthy relationship? Check out these seven signs of a healthy relationship.

If handled correctly, the stress you feel does not have to be a barrier to happy relationships. Here are some helpful tips on ways you can manage your stress for an improved home and work experience.

Essentially, it means being fully engaged in the interaction, and just like any other skill, it requires patience and practice. Using active listening can help us avoid frustration and confusion in our relationships with others, and has a number of other

Divorce can be a difficult process for both parents and children, so it is important for parents to be aware of the effects of divorce on children. By understanding the needs of children following a divorce, parents can help their children become resilien...

Emotion Coaching is a five step method to help parents learn about their child’s range of emotions. With proper emotion coaching, children learn to form stronger friendships with other children, calm themselves more quickly, do better in school, handle th...

When a family experiences a loss, the grieving process also varies from member to member. It can be difficult to have patience with one another when it feels like the loss is the same, yet grieving the loss is different for each member of the family.

Although there are many ways to journal, research has shown that a specific type of journaling, called expressive writing, can have a variety of benefits to our personal well-being and our relationships (Baikie & Wilhelm, 2005). The practice of expressive...

Conflict resolution involves dealing with emotions, problem-solving, and different levels of persuasion. Luckily, there isn’t a one-size-fits all approach to resolving disputes.

Engaging fully with your child in play offers a wonderful opportunity to build your child’s self-esteem. Imagine how your child must feel, knowing that the most important person in their world likes them enough to take the time to play with them. Additio

Consider making plans in the following three areas. Involving every family member in the discussion and decisions can increase the commitment to and excitement for family summer plans.

Given the importance to couples of shared household responsibilities, what can couples do to equally share the load? According to marriage consultant, Sheri Stritof, there are several steps couples can take to divide up household chores:

Co-dependency is a term we often hear coupled with Alcoholics Anonymous since people around an alcoholic respond to the stress of addiction on a relationship. But the stress of addiction isn’t the only type of stress that can create co-dependent pattern

EI researchers suggest that we move away from thinking about emotions such as anger and guilt as “bad” and joy and excitement as “good.” Instead, they encourage us to think about them as signals that we need to interpret.

Mister Rogers had the right idea when he taught his viewers that “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Kind acts have the potential to directly improve our lives no matter how large or small the act may seem. Showing kindness is k

So, what is self-care? If it’s not the chocolate cake, glass of wine, exotic vacation or new piece of exercise equipment then what is it? Succinctly stated self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, p...

Living apart may cause stress, but families can strengthen relationships and stay connected by employing a few strategies.

It’s often said that having healthy personal boundaries is important, but is it selfish to consider your own needs when someone wants something from you? What are healthy boundaries and how do we set them?

Empty nest relationships are sometimes viewed as a time when couples grow apart with intimacy waning. Research tells a different story. Intimacy can be defined as the sharing of trust, emotional closeness, and open and honest communication (Timmerman, 199...

Are you feeling stressed? Are you struggling to find enjoyment in your life and relationships? With our ever-present fast-paced lives, we may often experience increased levels of stress. Despite the stress, there is something small we can all do that has

Have you ever felt concerned about how to answer a question like “where do babies come from?” in a developmentally appropriate way? Most people who live or work with young children wonder how to best answer children’s questions about sexuality (Stone, Ing...

Why is it so hard to communicate about pain? There may be many reasons for this. One answer is because pain is difficult to see. While the experience of pain itself is universal, the experience for each person is incredibly different.

When a loved one is interested in or begins the recovery process for a substance use disorder (SUD), it can be hard to know what to say and do to support them. Family, friends, and other loved ones are important in this process and can provide support in

There are many misnomers that surround infidelity in committed relationships. One myth is that one party or the other must have done something to have caused it. Another myth is that after an affair comes to light, any possible future happiness in the rel...

Have you found yourself falling for a jerk in the past and want things to change? To help you avoid falling for a jerk or becoming a jerk yourself, let’s identify some of the key characteristics of being a jerk.

Healthy, happy, lasting relationships are built on trust, loyalty, and honesty. “Taking your partner for granted” in the sense that you are comfortable together and not constantly worrying about whether you’ll be able to hold on to that person, is a good

How do we celebrate important milestones, events and stay connected to our loved ones while following medical experts' advice? Below are three tips on how to stay connected during the pandemic and celebrate with family and friend’s long distance.

Stepfamilies are complex and diverse and becoming a thriving stepfamily is a process that takes time and patience. A strong foundation of trust and communication buffers the challenges that arise from stepfamily life, and a loving and well-adjusted stepfa...

Taking time for regular date nights with your sweetheart is not only fun and shows that you care enough to take time for each other, but it can also help you have opportunities to communicate, rekindle the spark, and relieve stress (Wilcox & Dew, 2012).

We typically think of personal achievement as something, well, personal. I have my own dreams, I set my own goals, I set personal deadlines, and I accomplish what I set out to do. But team-based approaches to goal setting are turning out to be wildly suc

The year 2020 has taught us the importance of resilience. And that is true for relationships as much as anything in life. If you want a resilient relationship for 2021 and beyond, there are a couple ideas you can incorporate.

When a couple is interviewed for having hit a major milestone anniversary, the interviewer cannot help but ask, “What’s your secret?” We all want to feel good about our relationships. We can’t, and shouldn’t try to, avoid all conflict with ou

A close relationship between grandparents and grandchildren is mutually beneficial when it comes to the health and well-being of both. Grandparents provide acceptance, patience, love, stability, wisdom, fun and support to their grandchildren. This, in tu

As a parent, watching your child become an adult can be extremely rewarding. After all, you get to see how years of hard work helped to produce this seemingly independent person you see before you. Yet for some parents, their child’s transition from a tee...

Expectations of the holiday season often ignite an atmosphere of anticipation in regards to love, joy and family. Though these expectations may shine brightly, the demands of work, family, and friends may also usher in a season of stress for couples makin...

One of the most wonderful and difficult things to find when dating, is to find someone that you like and who likes you back. From that mutual feeling you can build a healthy relationship that has the potential to grow into a lasting and loving relationshi...

Recent challenges have encouraged many of us to reflect on what we are most grateful for in life. Cultivating gratitude can lead to tremendous benefits, and not just during times of crisis.

We need to prioritize time for self-care. Relationship expert Dr. John Gottman tells us, “By engaging in proactive self-care, we can create the conditions necessary for deep, mutually fulfilling connections with ourselves, our partners, families, and frie...

Does it ever feel like your child has pushed your buttons to the point that you are about to lose it? This is a common experience for many parents. When we experience anger, our bodies release adrenaline and our heart rate and blood pressure increase.

This year has thrown many new challenges to parents. Maintaining a routine and helping your family stay stable during this time of chaos can be hard. We’ve gone from knowing when school, ballet and soccer are scheduled to needing to find activities for y

Healthy relationships require some compromise and negotiation from both partners. While it is often easy to see changes that we think others should make, we can’t force people to change.

One of the greatest essentials of any healthy relationship is good communication. It allows you to express thoughts, feelings and needs to produce a common understanding between persons.

For most of us, communication strategies are something we only think about when facing a conflict (e.g. marital issues, asking for a raise, addressing teens breaking house rules, etc.). However, communication is not just for conflict resolution – it affec...

Many couples look forward to the day when their children leave home and they can return to being a couple again. A 2017 study found that once couples become parents, those in the United States spend an average of three hours and 52 minutes a day parenting...

Difficult conversations about things like money, relationships, or other emotionally-charged topics can be hard to navigate. These situations can come up in our relationships with friends, with family members, and with co-workers.

This is a great question to ask. Before jumping into the response for this question, take note that author Gary Chapman’s book, the 5 Love Languages, according to recent research, has been understudied.

According to relationship expert John Gottman "94% if the time, the way a discussion starts determines the way it will end." If conversations start harshly or with criticism- the conversation will end with at least as much tension as it began.

With COVID shutting down state and national parks, airline travel restricted, and the threat of quarantine hanging overhead, most of us have been staying at home. It may be hard to remember the last time your family took a road trip or headed out on a we

Money affects every facet of our lives, particularly our relationship with our partner. Marriage.com lists financial stress as the No. 2 reasons for divorce among couples. In order to prevent financial stress from damaging your relationship, it is importa...

Effective communication can be difficult — pile on stressful events and it can feel impossible to keep your cool when things heat up. When we get stressed and our hearts start racing, the thinking part of our brain shuts down a bit and our emotional brain...

Most people struggling with pornography addictions later in life were first exposed when they were 10-13 years of age, and the addictions set quickly. Sadly, 12-17-year-old teens are the largest group of internet pornography viewers in America (Safefamili...

COVID-19 has changed the way we view the world. We went from a normalized schedule with time spent in various categories to working from home, having school from home, and spending an abundant amount of time with our families. With all that is going on, i...

First of all, it’s important that you recognize the need to keep communicating about the little things. So good work on clearly identifying an area for improvement in your relationship. From the way you worded this question, it seems as though you are wan...

Dads play a major role in the development of their children from birth through adulthood. According to one report, “Even from birth, children who have an involved father are more likely to be emotionally secure, be confident to explore their surroundings,...

The COVID-19 restrictions have wreaked havoc on the daily routines of families and students. These disruptions to activities and schedules can cause a great deal of stress. This means we need extra patience with family and with ourselves as we manage the

Graduations are a time of transition and change, and might even be considered a societal rite of passage. So where does that leave us in the era of social distancing? What do we do when we aren’t allowed to hold graduation parties and ceremonies are bein

Before children arrive, there is more money, time, and energy for courtship. Throughout the juggling act of parenting some find intimate connections frequency diminished. For my spouse and I parenting, lack of sleep, medical debt, feeding difficulties, sl...

If you currently have or previously had a loved one with a mental illness who has refused help, you are not alone. Many others have and continue to ask this question. There can be many different reasons why someone may not want to seek counseling or med

One in three people live in blended families. Though I am not a fan of labeling blended families, the term can highlight the unique challenge of finding tolerable ways to blend the lives, experiences, expectations, and dreams of all involved.

As human beings, we need relationships in our lives. We have a need to be connected to others, whether it be with family, friends, or a romantic partner.