Blair Counseling and Mediation

08/29/2026

The Six Fs are the working protocol of IFS — the step-by-step metho...

08/14/2026

Is there anything we can learn from hostage negotiaters when it comes to resolving conflict?

Can we learn anything from hostage negotiaters when it comes to resolving conflict in relationships? Can it bolster your marriage?

08/05/2026

Cutting off family members is becoming more and more common, leading experts to consider the drivers of the division. A 2025 YouGov survey found that 38% of ...

07/28/2026

Our imperfections do not make us inadequate; they are what connects us to each other and to our humanity.

Brene Brown

07/20/2026

Is your marriage in the 8%?

Discover relationship tips from an award-winning psychologist on how to fall back in love with your partner. take the first step today.

07/17/2026

Choosing the Table Over the Courtroom I got a call this week from a young mother. Her son is twenty months old — barely walking, still in that phase where everything is wonder and discovery. She was scared. The father of her child, her former boyfriend, was threatening to take her to court over cu...

05/05/2026

04/08/2026

I would have to say that this is the best advice. Even though it doesn't directly talk about conflict resolution, it does define the foundation to address problems in a marriage.

If you want to strengthen your marriage, consider four simple practices:-Have more fun together instead of rehearsing grievances.-Pray or meditate together.-...

02/18/2026

In an argument, what people really want to know is do I really matter to you?

02/16/2026

I want you to think about a rosebush for a minute.

A rosebush doesn't just produce roses. It produces buds—lots of them. Far more than it can actually sustain.

If you let every bud try to become a rose, you won't get a bush full of beautiful flowers. You'll get a bush full of mediocre ones. None of them will get the energy they need to fully bloom.

That's why gardeners prune. They cut away the good buds so the best ones can thrive.

Your life works the same way.

You're producing more than you can sustain. More commitments, more relationships, more obligations.

Some of them are good. But good isn't the same as best. And when you try to keep everything alive, nothing gets the energy it needs.

The problem is, most of us were never taught to think like gardeners. We think pruning is a failure. We think cutting something away means we've given up, that something is wrong.

But pruning isn't giving up. Pruning is how growth happens.

There's something in your life right now that a wise gardener would have cut a long time ago. You know what it is. You've just been afraid to make the cut.

Henry Cloud