Couples Counseling For Parents

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how parenting partners can get on the same page and make the changes they both want to have a more connected relationship. Take the Couple Communication Quiz! Ever wonder why you and your partner keep having the same fight or just can't seem to understand eac...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. The holidays can be a wonderful time of feeling connected and together as a family. They also are stressful and many couples find that their relationship feels worn out and strained after all the festivities are over. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how you and your partner can come out of the h...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. What is an apology and why is it so hard to apologize in your parenting partner relationship? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP give you a "cheat code" for how to apologize in your couple relationship.  Take the Couple Communication Quiz! Ever wonder why you and your partner keep having the same...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. If you and your partner want to stay connected and you want to build a sense of safety for your kids...You should tell more stories. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP talk about how you and your partner can strengthen your relationship and help your kids feel safe by telling one another stories.  Take the...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. There are 3 mistakes that you and your partner could be making that are leading to feeling disconnected. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss these mistakes and help couples learn how not to make them.  Take the Couple Communication Quiz! Ever wonder why you and your partner keep having the same figh...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. At some point in every parenting partner relationship a couple will face hard times. Hard times like receiving a scary diagnosis, infertility, death of a child, death of a loved one, struggling to feel at home as a parent...you name it. When these times come how can a couple make it through? Stephen Mitchell PhD and...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. Having couple conflict when your kids are in the same room happens as parents. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how couples can determine if this is a moment for modeling healthy conflict or a moment to avoid as parents.  Take the Couple Communication Quiz! Ever wonder why you and your partner ke...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. Resentment has a stacking effect in parenting partner relationships. Over time it stacks up and leads to serious conflict and hurt. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how resentment stacks up in couple relationships, how to tell if it has happened in your relationship, and how to keep it from ruini...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. What we mean here is transitions like getting ready in the morning, coming back home from work or transitions that happen when you have a partner in the military who is gone frequently or travels a lot for business. However, the transition happens in your parenting partner relationship many couples find that they exp...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. Being critical or feeling criticized is something every parenting partner experiences. This pattern often leads to conflicts and resentment in parenting partner relationships. Want to know how to shift this pattern? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how criticism can become a part of every couple...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. One of the most common struggles for parenting partners is feeling like their partner is not meeting their needs. We all have needs in relationships. How can you get your needs met in your relationship? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how partners can identify their needs, express their needs, a...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. What is the difference between reacting and responding when communicating with your partner? Is one a healthier way to communicate than the other? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss these questions and give you some tips on how to implement healthier communication in your parenting partner relation...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. What are the silent killers in a couple relationship? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss what the silent killers are and how to avoid them.  Take the Couple Communication Quiz! Ever wonder why you and your partner keep having the same fight or just can't seem to understand each other? We'...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. From in-laws to finances to work to technology, it can be hard for parenting partners to define and set healthy boundaries. What are boundaries and why is it so hard to set healthy ones? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss the purpose of boundaries and how parenting partners can define and set healt...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. Are you tired of dead end dialogues in your parenting partner relationship? Do you keep having the same fight over and over again with nothing changing? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP talk about how parenting partners can stop fighting and actually "get somewhere" when they disagree. Take the...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. One of the most common barriers to parenting partners connecting is grief. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP share how to cope with grief and stay connected as parenting partners.  Take the Couple Communication Quiz! Ever wonder why you and your partner keep having the same fight or just can't seem t...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. Talking about mental load as parenting partners is one of the hardest conversations to have! Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP share their own experience of how they have unsuccessfully and successfully navigated this topic.  Take the Couple Communication Quiz! Ever wonder why you and your partner keep ha...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. What do you do as parenting partners when you feel like you have lost your "spark"? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how couples can rediscover their spark.  Take the Couple Communication Quiz! Ever wonder why you and your partner keep having the same fight or just can't seem to un...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. This is one of the most challenging conversations for parenting partners to have without getting defensive. Parenting is hard. Parenting makes you both tired. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how the goal in this conversation is to understand what tired means for your partner and to try and make...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. We hear this all the time: "My partner and I can't agree about parenting styles!" Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP share how to have this conversation as a parenting team rather than parenting adversaries.  Take the Couple Communication Quiz! Ever wonder why you and your partner keep havin...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. Many couples feel that they “lose” compatibility with their partner post-kids.  “We used to agree on everything…We used to want to spend time together…We used to have the same goals…Now we can’t agree on anything (parenting styles, sleep, how the kids eat, in-laws etc)…We don’t even want to be around each other we ar...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. What advice would you and your partner give your younger couple selves? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell MACP discuss some of the advice couples have said they wish they knew back then.  Also, they will share their personal thoughts about what advice they would share with their younger couples selves.   Take t...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. Parenting is chaotic and stressful. Stress is overwhelming. Overwhelmed people act overwhelmed. They shut down, numb, distract, get hyper vigilante, feel angry, spin out of control in the whirlwind of their thoughts, and generally find it difficult to connect with others. How can parenting partners navigate the day-t...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. How can parenting partners navigate the moment in their relationship when one says to the other, “I don’t think we are doing okay and I want to get some help,” and their partner responds, “We are fine, things are not that bad.”  This is not an uncommon occurrence for many parenting partners or any couple for that mat...

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. Mother's Day is coming this weekend and for many parenting partners the day can feel a bit intimidating and potentially disappointing. What makes for a meaningful Mother's Day and how can partners make sure they make the mom to their kids feel special? Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss th...