Articles by Dave Thornsen, PsyD
by Dave Thornsen, PsyD | published Dec 29, 2017 | Couples, Sexuality
It is common for couples to come into counseling admitting that they have let the intimate side of their relationship wane. The truth is that when couples lose intimacy it is almost never intentional. It isn’t always disappointments and hurt that get in the way....
by Dave Thornsen, PsyD | published Nov 22, 2017 | Families, Stress Management
Thanksgiving is here and for many of us the desire to rest and enjoy a feast is overshadowed by the fear of repeating the difficult political discussions from last yearʼs holiday season. Sure itʼs been a year, and a lot has happened, but the beliefs and fears of both...
by Dave Thornsen, PsyD | published Oct 3, 2017 | Events, Families, Parenting, Skip the Rush Hour
Tuesday October 10, 2017 From 5:30pm to 6:15pm The most challenging period of our lives might be the time we spend raising our children. A few things about this time stand out as almost universal truths: 1) At any given moment we are doing the best we can as parents....
by Dave Thornsen, PsyD | published Apr 25, 2017 | Couples
The financial cost of divorce keeps going up and the emotional cost remains consistently as high as ever. When children are involved, the difficulties of the relationship sometimes don’t end but continue right through the divorce into the post-marital relationship. An...
by Dave Thornsen, PsyD | published Aug 27, 2015 | Couples, Families, Infidelity
I heard on the radio that there were more people in Grand Rapids who signed up for an account on the Ashley Madison website than voted in our last Mayoral election. That thought stuck with me. As a Licensed Psychologist who specializes in couples work in Grand Rapids...
by Dave Thornsen, PsyD | published Mar 12, 2015 | Communication, Couples, Families, Stress Management
The truth about conflict avoidance is that it is not honest. In order to avoid conflict a person must essentially lie. They say “Yes” when they really mean “No.” They say “No” when they really mean “Yes.” They leave something out of what they are saying because they...
by Dave Thornsen, PsyD | published Feb 27, 2015 | Communication, Couples, Families, Stress Management
We all know that disagreements between partners are common. Whether they are big issues or little issues the potential for disagreement is a common part of any couple trying to work together or get along. When a potential disagreement arises we always have a choice to...
by Dave Thornsen, PsyD | published Feb 12, 2015 | Communication, Couples, Families, Stress Management
Most couples coming into therapy identify “communication” as the main issue that caused them to call. We’re so used to the word that we forget what a complicated and fragile thing communication is. Because so many factors create communication, there are just as many...
by Dave Thornsen, PsyD | published Feb 6, 2015 | Couples
O+I=R This simple equation explains what we need to experience a thriving, dynamic relationship. O stands for OBSERVATION Observation is a crucial aspect of any partner’s effectiveness in a relationship. Observation is how we know what’s going on. Without observation...
