Blog, page 3
Research-informed articles on communication, conflict, connection and trust for couples, with sources and practical steps. Every article cites its sources and shows when it was last reviewed.
Date nights
Date Ideas for Married Couples Who Feel Stuck
Date ideas for long-married couples who've done dinner-and-a-movie a hundred times. Novel, connecting ideas that rebuild spark.
Updated , 11 min read
Date nights
Date Night Ideas When You Have Kids at Home
Can't get a sitter? Date night ideas for parents after bedtime, during nap time and with the kids involved.
Updated , 10 min read
Communication & conflict
Defensiveness in Relationships: Why It Happens & Fixes
Defensiveness feels like protection but escalates conflict. Learn its forms and the antidote: taking responsibility for even part of it.
Updated , 9 min read
Getting help
Discernment Counseling: When One Partner Is Unsure
Discernment counseling helps couples where one partner is leaning out. What it is, how it works and who it's for.
Updated , 9 min read
Date nights
Do Date Nights Really Help? What the Research Says
Does regular couple time improve relationships? What research on shared novel activities and couple time suggests, and its limits.
Updated , 10 min read
Getting help
Does Couples Therapy Work? What the Evidence Says
What meta-analyses show about couples therapy outcomes, which approaches have evidence, and how to make therapy more likely to help.
Updated , 11 min read
Goals & the future
Dreams Within Conflict: The Hidden Story in Gridlock
When you keep clashing, a deeper dream is often underneath. How to uncover the dreams behind gridlocked conflicts.
Updated , 10 min read
Trust & hard times
Emotional Affairs: Signs, Causes and Next Steps
What counts as an emotional affair, common signs, why they happen, and how couples can address it honestly.
Updated , 9 min read
Relationship science
Emotional Flooding: Why You Shut Down in Fights
Flooding is a stress response that makes calm talk impossible. Learn the signs, the physiology, and how to take an effective break.
Updated , 10 min read
Struggling relationships
Emotional Neglect in Marriage: Signs and First Steps
Feeling alone in your marriage? Learn the signs of emotional neglect, how to raise it without blame, and when to seek counseling.
Updated , 10 min read
Relationship science
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Explained Simply
What emotionally focused couples therapy is, how its three stages work, what the evidence shows and how to find an EFT therapist.
Updated , 10 min read
Getting help
Evidence-Based Relationship Books Worth Reading
Relationship books grounded in research, from Gottman to Johnson, with what each is best for and who should read it.
Updated , 11 min read