by Alison Hester | published Aug 22, 2017 | Events, Families, Parenting, Skip the Rush Hour
Tuesday September 12, 2017 From 5:30pm-6:15pm Common words associated with adolescence often include: argumentative, raging hormones, moody, uncommunicative, immature, risk-taking, and irrational. While we must acknowledge a certain amount of truth in using such words...
by Kelsey Nimmo | published May 5, 2017 | Children, Depression, Families, Parenting
“’The time has come,’ the Walrus said, ‘to talk of many things…’” – Lewis Carroll The time has certainly come. On April 27, Governor Rick Snyder released the Postpartum Depression Proclamation stating that May 2017 is Postpartum Depression Awareness Month in Michigan...
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 Kerry Huver | published Jul 28, 2015 | Families
The idea of summer brings many things to mind – backyards, bbqs, beaches, iced tea on the porch and days spent relaxing with family and friends. What summer doesn’t remind us of all that much is work, but, in a way, the play that summer involves is intimately...
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 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...
by Rosalyn Baker | published Jan 14, 2014 | Children, Communication, Families, Mental Health, Parenting
Teenagers fall in love, and they make love. They smoke pot and cigarettes. They drink alcohol. And most of this is behind their parents backs because they’ve been warned, “You better never…” When parents communicate with threats, the message translates to, “You better...
