by Kelsey Nimmo | published May 19, 2017 | Couples, Depression, Parenting
“Are you getting any sleep?” It seemed like this was all people kept asking after I had my baby. A simple question, asked with a knowing smile. From me, it elicited a practiced tilt of the head, half-hearted chuckle, and some sleep-deprived witty comment back that...
by Andrew Donaldson | published May 11, 2017 | Couples
Therapists learn a lot from their clients. While working with a couple on marital conflicts, we landed on a few practical ground rules designed to keep disagreements from becoming all-out wars at their house. Fearing the guidelines might feel too oppressive to the...
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...
by Dave Thornsen, PsyD | published Nov 19, 2014 | Communication, Couples, Families
People often seem shocked when I tell them that all couples can benefit from counseling. I think that response comes from the idea that marriage counseling is only for helping couples get through a crisis. It’s not. The research has shown us that couples tend to make...
