Tuscaloosa Couples Clinic

04/10/2026

One of the most common complaints I get from my clients individually is that they feel dismissed by their partners, or they don’t get respect from them. If I had a partner that dismissed me, or didn’t respect me, that would make my partner sound like a pretty bad person, right?What if I told you...

03/08/2026

One of the most common stumbling blocks I come across for couples is when partner A is upset about something that partner B did (or didn't do), and then A brings it to B's attention. "How could you be so thoughtless, it's like you don't care about me at all!" One of the most common "mistakes" people...

04/28/2025

Occasionally when I’m counseling individual clients, the topic of their relationship comes up. Sometimes they’re married and trying to solve problems in the relationship on their own. Sometimes they even ask me if I think they’re the problem. I admire these clients for having an open mind to c...

04/03/2025

The expectations, norms, and roles in marriage today are much different than they were a few generations ago, and these shifts can cause stresses in the relationship, sometimes in ways that aren't obvious. I think it’s important to understand where this might come from, and what can be done about ...

08/29/2024

Do you think that communication in your marriage or relationship could be better, but you don’t know what you should be aiming for? Or have you tried using lists of communication rules but still find yourself in contentious arguments with hurt feelings?One of the most common things clients say whe...

08/08/2023

Here’s a typical argument in a relationship: Partner A (we’ll say they’re a woman), exasperated, says to Partner B (we’ll say they’re a man; of course either one could be a man or woman) that she’s tired of feeling like she takes care of all the kids’ necessities, like making their bre...

01/19/2023

How do you know if you're with the right person? You've probably thought about this question. I'm going to list some qualities that a partner can have that people might think about in relation to this, and maybe you can guess the answer: They share a lot of common interests with you They share a lot...

08/27/2022

What do all organized team sports have, that we rarely think about? A rulebook. Could any of the sports we enjoy watching on a regular basis exist if the two teams playing each other didn’t agree on what the rules were? Doubtful. We all come into relationships with the best intentions. We all have...

02/07/2022

https://www.tuscaloosacouplesclinic.com/post/how-our-expectations-about-marriage-can-ruin-our-happiness

The movies and stories we consume affect our expectations about marriage. A marriage counselor gives answers about how to adjust our expectations fo a happier relationship.

01/31/2022

https://www.tuscaloosacouplesclinic.com/post/what-s-wrong-about-marriage-vows

This is a typical scene: Two young people are getting married. They are planning the parts of their own ceremony that are the most meaningful and important to them. And they have a conversation, where they decide that they will write their own vows. Partner A goes off and thinks over a few hours or....

01/28/2022

https://www.tuscaloosacouplesclinic.com/post/the-marriage-empathy-gap

Empathy is the ability to understand what another person is feeling. It also invokes the understanding of what others are thinking, but that is part of the broader ability of perspective-taking and mind-reading. It is an extremely important skill that when used correctly makes relationships, both ca...