Marriage Counseling From Arlene Foreman

** Counseling by Video Conferencing With Zoom Or In-Person in Our Ardmore Office **

Now is the time when you need each other more than ever

Re-establishing the love in your relationship and making it work has never been more important.

How can you restore the love you once had during a stressful time like this?

The biggest predictor of a marriage is at risk is when a partner feels his or her needs are not being met.

“A relationship is like a garden,” says Dr. John Gray, author of “Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.” If it is to thrive, it must be watered regularly. New seeds must be sown, and weeds must be pulled. Similarly, to keep the magic of love alive, we must understand its seasons and nurture love’s special needs.

To save your marriage, you must begin by giving each other empathy and respect. You must learn important communication skills. The hurtful things that are said and done can seriously damage the fabric of your relationship.

We can guide you even if your partner does not want to participate in counseling.

We’ll teach you new ways to interact with your partner that can make you both feel closer. Often, when one person changes, the other person changes too.

Nobody wins a power struggle

Stay focused on behaviors that make you feel closer, rather than be engaged in a power struggle in which each tries to prove he or she is right.

A little appreciation goes a long way toward healing years of emotional pain.

Researchers have found that by the age of five, the average child receives five thousand “yes’s” and forty thousand “no’s!” Most people aren’t accustomed to receiving enough appreciation. As a result, they are not always adept at showing appreciation either.

When we give couples a homework assignment and ask them to each express five appreciations a day, they usually return to tell us the exercise has helped them enormously.

Click above to hear how we work with couples to help them repair their relationships.

What appears to be the problem is often not the real problem.

A few months ago, a young couple came for counseling. He was African-American, and she was Jewish. Although Marsha and Roy loved each other deeply, they constantly bickered. Relatives and friends told them their problems were due to racial and religious differences but, in the very first session, it became obvious that these differences played a relatively small part in the stressed relationship. 

Marsha and Roy needed to learn how to relate in ways that made them feel closer. During counseling sessions, they gained a greater understanding of each other’s needs, changed negative interactional patterns, and acquired important communication skills that enabled them to create a vibrant, lasting marriage.

Marriage is an exclusive relationship.

The marriage contract infers that needs for affection and sex will be met within the relationship. When these needs are not met within the relationship, the marriage becomes very vulnerable. Couples must make sure they spend adequate quality time together and are sensitive and respectful of each other’s feelings and needs.

Need more information about online counseling?

Call for an initial free video conference session: (888) 242-1720

The pain of infidelity can be overcome with good counseling.

Your partner feels crushed, enraged, betrayed, and abandoned. Trust has been shattered. The pain is unbearable. If the relationship is to be saved, trust must be re-established.

Infidelity may be an indicator of larger problems in the relationship that need to be addressed. Couples can recover from infidelity if they are willing to work on their relationship. With professional help, they can often move past the pain, acquire valuable new skills, and begin again

The average couple waits seven years from the time their marriage begins to unravel until they seek counseling. What finally drives them to take that step is frustration and pain.

The #1 cause of divorce in this country is that couples slowly, insidiously drift apart.

Marriage almost always begins with love, excitement, and an intention to grow old together. But the sweetest dreams can float away in a sea of hurts, disappointments, and unresolved conflicts.

When our clients tell us their hearts are broken, they’re not just speaking metaphorically.

The stress of a troubled marriage can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, depression, and cancer. That’s because when couples constantly bicker and fight, adrenaline and cortisol levels soar. These hormones surge during emergencies. It’s what happens in the familiar fight-or-flight response. In an emergency this response is necessary for survival — on a daily basis, it can lead to illness.

When your body is in a state of high tension day after day and year after year, the effects can be devastating. Your body takes a beating.

Successful marriages are the result of a couple intentionally behaving in a way that every decision they make is to preserve, enrich and enhance their marriage. They have a common vision for this marriage and a common belief system of how to get there.

We’ll teach you excellent communication and problem-solving skills.

When confronting your partner, you’ll both learn to speak in a softer, kinder tone of voice. Statements like “you, you, you!” only make your partner feel angry and frustrated. Instead, try saying “I feel,” and “I would like,” but remember, keep your partner’s dignity intact. Once you change the way you communicate, you’ll find that your partner responds differently too.

We’ll teach you what to say and do to keep the argument from escalating.

Soon you’ll learn how to resolve conflicts more easily and will find them far less frightening.

You’ll learn how to:

• Understand and comfort your partner even when you disagree.
• Tell your partner what you want instead of expecting your partner to know.
• Stand your ground when it matters.
• Show support for your partner’s goals.
• Listen to your partner with your heart.
• Show affection.
• Heal each other with LACE (Love, Appreciation, Compassion, Empathy).
• Understand how a sincere intention to change can make a significant difference in your marriage.

Many clients benefit greatly from our Half-Day Intensive

Relationship problems often stem from a couple not having the basic skills to communicate their needs effectively without hurting each other. Our therapist can help you learn basic communication and problem-solving skills that will help you resolve your issues during the session and apply when you get back home. We offer an opportunity to identify and work out concerns that may be undermining the entire emotional experience of your relationship. The fee for a Half-Day Intensive is $995. Of course, follow-up sessions are always available.  To learn more about Half-Day Intensives click here.

Take the first step. Pick up the phone and call: 1-888-242-1720

Arlene Foreman M.S.
Online Relationship Counseling and Couples Counseling