As a Portland marriage counselor, I work with a lot of couples with children who struggle with relationship issues, so I was interested when I saw a 2010 Pew Research Center report saying that young adults are making becoming parents more of a priority than professional success, faith, or even romantic relationships.
Essentially, single people who [...]

One of the relationship issues most couples face at some point in their marriage is deciding the right time to have children. And in this current economic climate, more people are deciding to hold off. Just how many? The U.S. birth rate is at an 11-year low. Money is a huge concern. Couples worry that [...]

You need to know this, first time parents: whatever relationship issues you have now will only get worse after you have your baby. I don’t say this to deter anyone from having children. They can be wonderful additions to our life in many amazing ways. But I do believe it needs to be put out [...]

Many people come to Portland relationship counseling looking for relationship advice that will help them not only become a better spouse but also a better parent. Luckily, they are often one and the same thing! By improving your communication skills with your partner, you will be able to better work together to influence your child.
For [...]

As a Portland marriage counselor I know that stepfamilies have a set of unique challenges. Stepfamilies are always born of loss and the children most acutely feel the pain of the divorce. The children in a blended family may act out negatively as they struggle with the loss. “It takes both parties-children and adults-to [...]

As a marriage counselor in Portland, Oregon I am always on the lookout for books that my clients can find useful. Two such books I have learned about lately may be of interest to my clients with young children.
Let’s Stick Together: the Relationship Book for New Parents is about to be released and is written [...]

Teenager issues abound and one big one is getting them to listen to adults.  We have a solution for you to actually get a teenager to listen.  The perilous journey of adolescence is a time of tremendous change, anxiety and frustration for teenagers and it can be difficult for parents as well. Parents often find [...]