Contempt is poison. It says “I’m better than you,” “You’re stupid,” “What you’re saying doesn’t matter.” Most of the couples that come to me want more connection and intimacy. Contempt kills both.

Jen launched into a rant about their weekend trip to the Cape and how exhausting it was for her to prepare and pack everything, wrangle their three kids, get everyone ready for the beach every day and dinners every night, etc. “It’s never a vacation for me.”

Hands down the request I get the most from new couples is improved communication. So, here are the things that I most often see in the couples I work with that you can begin to notice and to practice handling in a different way today…

Couples often struggle with communication. In fact, unhealthy communication patterns can be the root cause of countless relationship problems. An inability to communicate in a mature, patient manner can spell out the end of a partnership.