Marriage Expert
Relationships (all of them!) are our most important asset. Our intimate partnership is one of our most important because this is where weāre the most vulnerable, and should feel the most connection and acceptance.Ā Iām aĀ Level 3Ā Gottman CounselorĀ andĀ Emotional Focused Therapist (EFT). Iām also aĀ Gottman 7 Principles Program Educator,Ā which means IĀ can train couples within groups to be more emotionally cohesive and better communicators (but you probably donāt need better communication in your marriage).
Self-Care Bad***
Work hard, play hard ā thatās my motto. I see a lot of people that workĀ really hard,Ā and because of that, Iāve become hyper-focused on helping others understand what real self-care means. I haveĀ eight things I teach every single client about self-care.Ā These are the most important things we should be managing on a day-to-day basis in order to become better, healthier, and happier human beings. (Iām putting those all down in a book now, but youāll be getting this lesson for free in my office, guaranteed!)
Communication Guru
He said, she saidā¦what? One thing my couples would say about me is that I help translate their conversations with each other so they hear each other better. Most couples couple in and tell me they are bad at communicating, but I rarely find this to be the case. We communicate all the time to all kinds of people throughout the day! What we really need is help getting the bottom of the core feelings of our partner. That may sound boring, and āblah blah blahā but if this key ingredient is missing, marriages end because of it. And itās a pretty slow death.
Researching Tree-Hugger
Research matters, but so does hugging trees! I can tell you all about research in meditation, right before we meditate for example. Here are a few other things youāll learn from me:
- How early family relationships create a subconscious pattern of behavior in our lives and in relationships of which we engage (marriage, friendships, co-workers, etc.)
- How thoughts, emotions, and actions are interconnected, and how you can change the ones you donāt like
- How early relationships create subconscious belief systems that drive everything we feel and do
- The role personality, intuition, and mindfulness play in the change process
- That homework and journal exercises between sessions make change happen more quickly
- How meditation, self-talk, role-playing, role rehearsal affect the change process
Iām an EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy) Therapist and have obtained the highest training through intensive training. EFT is based on attachment, which is the bonding we feel with another human being. It is experiential and focuses on peopleās experience in their relationship. How do they express their emotions? What is the dance couples perform with each other? What are their negative patterns?
EFT helps shift negative patterns of engagement and create a more secure emotional bond. Research shows that EFT produces a 70-75%Ā recoveryĀ rate. No other coupleās therapy method has more extensive research than EFT; it has been researched over a span of 20 years.
For more information about EFT, clickĀ here.
MORE ABOUT ME:
- Ph.D. Family Studies, Texas Womanās University
- M.Ed. Education in Counseling, University of North Texas
- B.S. Human Development and Family Studies,Texas Tech University
- Mom of 3, all girls, including twins
- Wife of 1. Heās the hardest of all of them.