Portland Relationship Center

Relationship Advice: What Women Want from Marriage

Norene Gonsiewski — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:00:17 +0000

Are you looking for a little relationship advice to make your wife happier? Of course, what each woman wants from marriage will be different, but here are a few suggestions to get you started from an experienced Portland marriage counselor.

Be forgiving. Everyone makes mistakes now and then – and...

Marriage: A Start-Up Guide from a Portland Relationship Counselor

Norene Gonsiewski — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 23:00:34 +0000

As a Portland relationship counselor, I’ve helped many couples as they begin the lifelong journey of marriage together. Understanding the commitment you are making before you say “I do” is an important part of the long-term success of your relationship. Why are you getting married? What do you and your...

Personal Rituals Can Bring Couples Together, Says Portland Marriage Counselor

Norene Gonsiewski — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 19:00:32 +0000

As a Portland marriage counselor, I deal with clients who might be considering ending their relationship on a regular basis. Their problems all differ, but there is usually one common element shared between those who seem the most willing to give up on the relationship and part ways: they don’t...

Marriage Help: Make Your Anniversaries Memorable

Norene Gonsiewski — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:00:52 +0000

Most of us don’t even know that we need marriage help until our problems reach the boiling point. Many of my Portland relationship counseling clients tell me that they thought everything was going fine in their marriage right up to the point where their spouse suggested therapy.

Cases like this are...

Portland Marriage Counseling: Effort Should Always Be Appreciated

Norene Gonsiewski — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:00:11 +0000

In sessions with my Portland marriage counseling clients, the relationship advice frequently tends to be on how you can be proactive in solving problems by doing things – talking to your partner, listening to your partner, engaging in compromise, planning date nights. However, it is often just as important...

Marriage Problems Caused By the Cost of a New Baby Can Be Alleviated

Norene Gonsiewski — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 19:00:19 +0000

Marriage problems related to money are a common reason why couples come to see a Portland relationship counselor. Finances can be a huge stressor, whether you learn that you’re not being honest with each other about how much you have or both of you are simply worried about not having...

Facebook Can Cause Relationship Problems for Those with Low Self-Esteem

Norene Gonsiewski — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:00:59 +0000

Relationship problems caused by a lack of attention can serious issues, but sometimes one partner may have unrealistic expectations. No matter how diligently their partner has worked to express his or her love, it just doesn’t seem to be enough. The attention-seeking partner always has some new fear about why...

Portland Relationship Counselor: Poor College Students Less Likely to Marry

Norene Gonsiewski — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 19:00:48 +0000

Recently, I was surprised to read in a study that people from lower-income backgrounds who attend colleges and universities are far less likely than their more affluent peers to get married. As a Portland relationship counselor, this seemed very strange to me. One would think that – rich or poor...

Portland Marriage Counselor: Liking a Relationship versus Committing to It

Norene Gonsiewski — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:00:51 +0000

A recent study from UCLA psychologists found something not all that surprising: when two people are committed to making a relationship work – regardless of any relationship issues that might come up – the chances of them divorcing go down dramatically. When they aren’t as committed, those chances skyrocket.

Obvious,...

Relationship Advice: How to Prevent Nagging

Norene Gonsiewski — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 02:00:59 +0000

In my past blogs, I shared relationship advice on how to recognize the factors that contribute to a pattern of nagging and negative communication in a marriage. As a Portland marriage counselor, this is one of the most common problems I see couples struggling with. Acknowledging the issue...

Relationship Problems: Why Nagging Happens – Part 2

Norene Gonsiewski — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:00:33 +0000

There are some relationship problems that most couples will encounter at some point in their marriage, and nagging is certainly one of the most common. As a Portland marriage counselor, I work with many couples who have trouble communicating because of the resentment, frustration, and annoyance that nagging causes, and...

Marriage Problems: Why Nagging Happens – Part 1

Norene Gonsiewski — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:00:01 +0000

Nagging isn’t always taken as seriously as other marriage problems, but it is a major contributor to conflict and unhappiness in many relationships. It occurs when one partner makes a request repeatedly, such as completing a household repair, while the other partner repeatedly ignores it, leaving both partners annoyed and...

Relationship Help: Overcome Infidelity with Marriage Education

Norene Gonsiewski — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:00:09 +0000

As a Portland marriage counselor, I know that going through an infidelity is one of the toughest things a relationship can experience. There are deep feelings of betrayal and anger on one end, and on the other, guilt and remorse and fear.

Many couples seek relationship help by going to...

Relationship Advice: Plan for Retirement Together

Norene Gonsiewski — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:00:59 +0000

Heading into retirement can be an exciting time, but one of the best pieces of relationship advice I can give you is to plan for this transition with your partner. As a Portland marriage counselor, I’ve noticed that some couples struggle because they’ve spent several decades with a certain...

Relationship Issues: How to Discuss Bad Financial News

Norene Gonsiewski — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:00:02 +0000

All relationship issues related to finances can be difficult, particularly if they involve bad news. Whether you’ve lost your job or maxed out the credit card, you may be scared to confess to your partner and even be tempted to handle it on your own, but this is a...

Portland Marriage Counseling: Helping Your Partner through Pregnancy

Norene Gonsiewski — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:00:31 +0000

One of the most common things I hear from my Portland marriage counseling clients who have just had a child is how unexpectedly fast the pregnancy really was… and how unprepared they felt for the actual birth.

Most of my pregnant clients in Portland marriage counseling have some sort...

More Young People Refuse to Let Relationship Issues Get in the Way of Parenthood

Norene Gonsiewski — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:00:41 +0000

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...

Relationship Advice: Women’s Sexual Satisfaction Increases with Age

Norene Gonsiewski — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:00:09 +0000

Many older couples seek relationship advice in Portland marriage counseling for problems with intimacy. As we age, we often experience lower sexual desire and have concerns about how we look or can perform. But there’s good news! Most people can still have an active and satisfying sex life. A...

Portland Relationship Counselor Describes a Sexually Healthy Marriage

Norene Gonsiewski — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:00:19 +0000

Many clients at my Portland relationship counselor practice are embarrassed when they come to discuss problems in their sex life. Not only because of the intimate nature of the admission, but because many of them – especially those in long-term relationships – feel like their sexual unhappiness is something...

Portland Marriage Counselor: How to Work Through Relationship Issues Caused By “Stupid Boy Syndrome”

Norene Gonsiewski — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:00:15 +0000

Many of my female Portland marriage counselor clients complain of relationship issues because their male partners don’t listen to them and often seem clueless about how to deal with or even discuss their feelings. In recent years, this phenomenon has even gotten a name: “Stupid Boy Syndrome.” I prefer...

Relationship Issues: Should You Hold Off on Having Kids?

Norene Gonsiewski — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:00:30 +0000

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...

Portland Marriage Counseling: Having a Baby Will Cause Relationship Issues

Norene Gonsiewski — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:00:14 +0000

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...

Portland Marriage Counseling: The Secret to a Happy Retirement Is Sex

Norene Gonsiewski — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:00:50 +0000

As our population continues to live longer and more fully, I find that I’m seeing more couples in their 60s and even 70s come to Portland marriage counseling with relationship issues. While issues at this stage of the relationship can come from numerous things, including children leaving the...

A Portland Relationship Counselor Says Generosity Can Help Your Marriage

Norene Gonsiewski — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:00:18 +0000

As a Portland relationship counselor, I try to pay attention to new research and trends so that I can better help my clients with their marriage problems. Recently I ran across a study about how generosity between partners can make your relationship feel satisfying, even in the face of...

Study May Show That Men Are More Biologically Oriented, Says Portland marriage counselor

Norene Gonsiewski — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:00:14 +0000

As a Portland marriage counselor, I’ve listened to countless women tell me that all their boyfriends or husbands ever think about is sex. And we’ve all heard the statistic that men have a sexual thought every seven seconds, right? For a 16 hour waking day, that would be 8,000...

Relationship Advice: 4 Tips for a Healthy Marriage

Norene Gonsiewski — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:00:07 +0000

Often when people come seeking relationship advice in Portland marriage counseling, they want a quick fix. Some simple tips they can take home with them to make their problems better. Of course, many issues aren’t that easy to fix. They take time and require both partners to learn better communication...

Learn How to Avoid Gift-giving Stress in Portland Marriage Counseling

Norene Gonsiewski — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:00:01 +0000

At my Portland marriage counseling practice, my clients often talk to me about the stress they feel around birthdays, anniversaries, and especially the holidays to buy gifts that their partner will love. Some even go so far as to say they are afraid a bad gift will cause relationship issues.

Sadly,...

Portland Marriage Counselor: Tips for Coping with Your In-Laws

Norene Gonsiewski — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:00:12 +0000

In-laws can be the cause a lot of relationship problems – especially for newlyweds who are also trying to learn how to live as a married couple for the first time. Perhaps your wife’s parents are always making cutting remarks or overriding the decisions you’ve made together as a...

Portland Relationship Counselor: When Sex Becomes Sex Addiction

Norene Gonsiewski — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:00:16 +0000

As a Portland relationship counselor, I’ve noticed that the recent high profile cases of sex addiction – David Duchovny, Jesse James, and Tiger Woods – have left people with more questions than answers about the disorder. Some falsely believe that simply having an affair means you are a sex addict,...

A Portland Marriage Counselor Explains Relationship Education through Imago Therapy

Norene Gonsiewski — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:00:50 +0000

In a recent Portland marriage counselor blog, I wrote about how relationship education can help all of your relationships, not just your romantic ones. Relationship problems most often come from unrealistic expectations and a lack of understanding or communication between two people, and relationship education teaches you how to...