Therapy No Filter

Home
United States
Annapolis, MD
Therapy No Filter

Call Directions Website

Gain traction in your personal or professional life | Therapy with sarcasm and colorful language

10/30/2026

💭 You can tell your partner what happened, how you experienced it, and what you'd like to be different.

But here's the part that's sometimes hard to accept.

Your partner gets to decide what to do with that information.

💬 Giving feedback doesn't guarantee the response you want. It creates an opportunity for your partner to understand your experience and decide how to respond.

You have agency in what you communicate. Your partner has agency in how they respond.

And both of you get to decide what those responses mean for the relationship.

Feedback is communication, not control.

🔜 Next up: How to receive feedback without getting defensive.

📖 Read the blog: https://teletherapymaryland.com/couple-therapy-how-to-communicate-handle-conflict-and-feel-more-connected

💬 Take the Relationship Check-In: https://teletherapymaryland.com/relationship-check-in-form-blog

Safety note: Couple therapy and joint assessments may not be appropriate in relationships involving abuse, coercion, intimidation, or fear.

10/29/2026

Feedback doesn't have to be a character assassination.

💭 Ever start a conversation about one thing and somehow end up arguing about everything that's happened since 2017?

That's what happens when we start throwing jabs, making accusations, and bringing up old stuff.

💬 Terry Real's Feedback Wheel gives us a framework for keeping the conversation focused:

1️⃣ What I saw and heard.

2️⃣ What I told myself about it.

3️⃣ How I feel about it.

4️⃣ What I'd like to happen in the future.

Keep each part to a sentence or two.

No insults. No name-calling. No personal attacks.

The goal is to communicate your experience, not attack your partner's character.

🔜 Next up: What happens after you give feedback?

📖 Read the blog: https://teletherapymaryland.com/couple-therapy-how-to-communicate-handle-conflict-and-feel-more-connected

💬 Take the Relationship Check-In: https://teletherapymaryland.com/relationship-check-in-form-blog

Safety note: Couple therapy and joint assessments may not be appropriate in relationships involving abuse, coercion, intimidation, or fear.

10/28/2026

Before you give feedback, ask yourself two questions.

💭 1. Is this a good time?

Sometimes it's not. Ask your partner when they're available to talk. Just make sure you actually come back to the conversation.

💬 2. Why am I bringing this up?

Remember love. The goal is to share your experience, not criticize or hurt your partner.

😤 And if you're angry? Give yourself time to cool down before you start talking.

Good feedback starts before the conversation does.

🔜 Next up: Step 3 — The Feedback Wheel.

📖 Read the blog: https://teletherapymaryland.com/couple-therapy-how-to-communicate-handle-conflict-and-feel-more-connected

💬 Take the Relationship Check-In: https://teletherapymaryland.com/relationship-check-in-form-blog

Safety note: Couple therapy and joint assessments may not be appropriate in relationships involving abuse, coercion, intimidation, or fear.

10/27/2026

Giving feedback shouldn't start another fight.

💭 You've worked together to find a solution. Great! But how do you know if it's actually working?

You have to talk about it.

😤 The tricky part? Giving and receiving feedback can feel just as uncomfortable as the original disagreement.

💬 Just like navigating conflict, feedback is a skill that takes practice.

One tool I use is the Feedback Wheel from Terry Real's Relational Life Therapy. It provides a framework for sharing your experience without turning the conversation into another argument.

🔜 Next up: Four steps to giving feedback.

📖 Read the blog: https://teletherapymaryland.com/couple-therapy-how-to-communicate-handle-conflict-and-feel-more-connected

💬 Take the Relationship Check-In: https://teletherapymaryland.com/relationship-check-in-form-blog

Safety note: Couple therapy and joint assessments may not be appropriate in relationships involving abuse, coercion, intimidation, or fear.

10/26/2026

It's us versus the problem. Not me versus you.

💭 When conflict turns into a competition over who's right, we lose sight of what we're actually trying to solve.

Once both partners feel heard, it's time to turn toward the problem together.

💬 Brainstorm solutions. Even the ridiculous ones! If you can't agree on which approach is better, try one for a while, then the other.

Talk about what worked, what didn't, and what you'd do differently.

The goal isn't to win. It's to find something that works for both of you.

📖 Read the blog: https://teletherapymaryland.com/couple-therapy-how-to-communicate-handle-conflict-and-feel-more-connected

💬 Take the Relationship Check-In: https://teletherapymaryland.com/relationship-check-in-form-blog

Safety note: Couple therapy and joint assessments may not be appropriate in relationships involving abuse, coercion, intimidation, or fear.

10/24/2026

Don't start with the mother of all disagreements.

💭 If you're learning how to navigate conflict, jumping straight into your biggest relationship issue probably isn't the best place to start.

Do you think the fishermen on Deadliest Catch learned to swim in the freezing Bering Sea?

💬 Start with something a little less pointy. Practice listening, repeating what you heard, and checking that you understood your partner.

It might feel awkward. That's okay.

Practice makes progress.

📖 Read the blog: https://teletherapymaryland.com/couple-therapy-how-to-communicate-handle-conflict-and-feel-more-connected

💬 Take the Relationship Check-In: https://teletherapymaryland.com/relationship-check-in-form-blog

Safety note: Couple therapy and joint assessments may not be appropriate in relationships involving abuse, coercion, intimidation, or fear.

10/22/2026

Taking a break isn't avoiding the conversation.

💭 When emotions are running high, productive communication becomes a whole lot harder.

But that doesn't mean we get to avoid uncomfortable conversations altogether.

💬 Ask for a break. Figure out what helps you feel grounded. Then come back and have the conversation.

Each partner is responsible for managing their own reactions.

And don't underestimate the basics: sleep, movement, and nutrition all support emotional regulation.

Regulate first. Communicate second.

📖 Read the blog: https://teletherapymaryland.com/couple-therapy-how-to-communicate-handle-conflict-and-feel-more-connected

💬 Take the Relationship Check-In: https://teletherapymaryland.com/relationship-check-in-form-blog

Safety note: Couple therapy and joint assessments may not be appropriate in relationships involving abuse, coercion, intimidation, or fear.

10/21/2026

Your brain is running on outdated software.

💭 Imagine trying to have a Zoom meeting using dial-up internet. The connection is terrible, the message gets distorted, and nobody understands what the hell is happening.

That's a little like your brain during relationship conflict.

🧠 When your brain perceives a threat, your fight-or-flight response kicks in. Your heart races, your tone changes, and thoughtful communication gets a whole lot harder.

The problem? Your brain doesn't always distinguish between an actual threat and an uncomfortable conversation.

💬 You can't communicate effectively when your brain thinks you're fighting a lion.

📖 Read the blog: https://teletherapymaryland.com/couple-therapy-how-to-communicate-handle-conflict-and-feel-more-connected

💬 Take the Relationship Check-In: https://teletherapymaryland.com/relationship-check-in-form-blog

Safety note: Couple therapy and joint assessments may not be appropriate in relationships involving abuse, coercion, intimidation, or fear.

10/20/2026

Conflict isn't the problem. How we handle it is.

💭 Conflict is inevitable in relationships. If we want connection and belonging, we're going to have disagreements.

But here's where things go sideways.

😤 Both partners become so desperate to be heard that neither is listening. Suddenly, it's not you and your partner versus the problem. It's you versus your partner.

The Gottmans call these destructive communication patterns the Four Horsemen: criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling.

💬 Two people are involved in the conflict. Two people need to be involved in the solution.

📖 Read the blog: https://teletherapymaryland.com/couple-therapy-how-to-communicate-handle-conflict-and-feel-more-connected

💬 Take the Relationship Check-In: https://teletherapymaryland.com/relationship-check-in-form-blog

Safety note: Couple therapy and joint relationship assessments may not be appropriate in relationships involving abuse, coercion, intimidation, or fear.

10/20/2026

Couple therapy isn't about deciding who's right and who's wrong.

💭 For the longest time, I thought couple therapy meant sitting in a room watching two people argue while I played referee.

Just thinking about it made my armpits sweat.

Turns out, I had it all wrong.

Couple therapy isn't about picking sides or settling disputes. It's about creating space for both partners to be heard, understand themselves and each other, and learn how to navigate challenges together.

💬 The goal isn't to win the argument. It's to understand each other.

📖 Read the blog: https://teletherapymaryland.com/couple-therapy-how-to-communicate-handle-conflict-and-feel-more-connected

Show Notes: https://teletherapymaryland.com/practice-updates

💬 Ready to see where your relationship stands? Take the Relationship Check-In: https://teletherapymaryland.com/relationship-check-in-form-blog

Safety note: Couple therapy may not be appropriate in relationships involving abuse, coercion, intimidation, or fear. Safety comes first.

Address

133 Defense Highway, Suite 110
Annapolis, MD
21401

Telephone

+14104245490

Website

http://www.teletherapymaryland.com/, https://teletherapymaryland.timetap.com/, https://teletherapymaryland.com/blog

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Therapy No Filter posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.