I am not going to lobby Congress.
I am not going to demand an amendment to the Constitution.
But, I am starting a campaign here and now for the "Truth in Relationships Act," whereby everyone who ever talks about relationships must include this warning:
"THIS RELATIONSHIP WILL COME WITH CONFLICT!"
I am deadly serious about this.
I've had it with people who say that the way to a happy relationship is to eliminate the conflict.
I've had it with TV ads for dating services that show a deliriously happy couple scientifically matched to make sure they are so compatible that they seemingly will always have that happy smile pasted across their faces (when those faces aren't obscured by a passionate lip-lock).
I am a relationship counselor who has watched couple after couple come through my door disappointed, disillusioned, and discouraged. They think their relationship is at an end because -- oh my god! -- they have conflict.
Had these dating services been required to operate under my "Truth in Relationships" Act, we would hear a voice in the commercial, warning viewers that "loving relationships have been known to produce certain side effects that may include conflict, panic states, feelings of insecurity, verbal swordfighting, walls of defensiveness ,and mutual blame."
Here's the true chemistry of a relationship. One partner is oil. The other partner is water. You can put them together but they will never completely mix. We pick partners who are different from us for a reason!
It is our differentness, not our sameness that is the source of true intimacy. Conflict is relationship growing pain. Conflict , managed mindfully, leads to deeper understanding and a much more flexible partnership.
Stop the cycle of "me verses you" - learn how to be a better "we."
|
Office Hours
Mon - Thur 9-7 pm
Saturday 9- 12pm |
[ View a Map ]
|
|
| Avg. Session Cost: |
$90/hr day, $120/hr evening |
| Sliding Scale: |
No |
| Years in Practice: |
23 |
| Accepts Insurance: |
No |
|
|
| Graduate School: |
Washington University |
| Year Graduated: |
1985 |
| License Number: |
I 0004261 |
| License State: |
OH |
|
| Ethnicity: |
Any |
| Religous Orientation: |
Any |
| Gay/Lesbian Focus : |
No Preference |
|
|
|
|
|