Solving Disconnection & Creating Connected Relationships (for Couples & Parents)

Send us Fan Mail Couples Therapist and coach Jason Polk explains how retaliation in relationships—making a partner feel bad because they made you feel bad—creates a negative pattern that keeps couples disconnected.  He argues retaliation doesn’t build closeness, protect from hurt, or effectively teach, and can instead foster resentment, fear, and lead to controlling dynamics such as an “authoritar...

Send us Fan Mail Every couple disagrees — the real question is how you handle it.  In this episode, therapist and relationship coach Jason Polk shares practical communication tools he's developed over 10+ years of working exclusively with couples, drawing on the work of Terry Real and Stan Tatkin. In this episode, you'll learn: Why self-regulation is the single most important communicati...

Send us Fan Mail Discernment Counseling: Should I Stay or Should I Go? Solving Disconnection Podcast with Jason Polk Guest: Lana Isaacson, Licensed Couples Therapist (CO & MA), Certified EFT Therapist Episode Summary Jason and Lana explore discernment counseling — a short-term, evidence-based process designed for couples on the brink of divorce or separation, where one partner is "leaning...

Send us Fan Mail Guest: Athena McCullough, LPC, LMFT When families are caught in high-conflict divorce—battling in courtrooms and struggling to communicate—Athena McCullough steps in. She's a licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in the complex intersection of family therapy and the legal system. What We Cover In this conversation, Athena shares her expertise on helping famil...

Send us Fan Mail Summary: Jason shares five habits healthy couples avoid to maintain strong, connected relationships. The Five Habits to Avoid: Waking each other up to talk when upset—sleep first, discuss later. Assuming your partner is trying to upset you—differences aren’t disrespect. Expecting your partner to fix your anxiety—self-regulation is key. Using distance or avoidance to calm anxiety—s...

Send us Fan Mail Episode Summary: In this episode, Jason Polk , a couples therapist with over 10 years of experience, shares the six key signs that indicate it might be time to seek couples therapy. He explains why seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness, and offers practical examples and personal insights. Six Signs It's Time for Couples Therapy: Constant Fighting: Recurring argumen...

Send us Fan Mail Show Notes: Understanding Narcissism in Relationships Host: Jason Polk, Couples Therapist & Agency Owner Episode Overview: In this episode, Jason Polk explores the complex topic of narcissism and its impact on relationships. He breaks down what it means to be a narcissist, the origins of narcissistic behavior, and how these patterns affect both partners and families. Key Topic...

Send us Fan Mail Jason Polk, a seasoned therapist specializing in couples therapy, hosts Brandon Schwartz, LCSW, from Colorado Relationship Recovery on the podcast.  Brandon shares his journey of becoming a therapist, influenced by overcoming bullying, depression, and a transformative experience with his own therapist in middle school.  He discusses his educational path, shifting from a desire to...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of 'Solving Disconnection and Creating Connected Relationships for Couples and Parents,' therapist and coach Jason Polk delves into the importance of repair in relationships, why it's challenging, and how to effectively navigate it. Polk explains the concept of repair as restoring relationships after conflicts and discusses two main barriers: ego and...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of 'Solving Disconnection and Creating Connected Relationships for Couples and Parents,' Jason Polk, a therapist and coach with over 10 years of experience, discusses the financial and emotional costs of marriage counseling versus divorce.  Jason highlights the expense and emotional toll of contested divorces, which can range from $10,000 to $15,000, comp...

Send us Fan Mail Understanding Cheating: Definitions, Impacts, and Pathways to Healing In this episode of 'Solving Disconnection and Creating Connected Relationships for Couples and Parents,' therapist and coach Jason Polk explores the complex topic of cheating.  He delves into the different forms of infidelity, including financial and emotional cheating, and emphasizes the importance of...

Send us Fan Mail Jason explores the purpose of marriage beyond initial infatuation and love chemicals.  He explains that marriage is an essential emotional refuge and economic partnership, providing a place for vulnerability, acceptance, and the sharing of resources.  Jason discusses typical relationship dynamics like the pursue-withdraw cycle and how past experiences shape our partner interaction...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jason shares ten actionable tips to help couples maintain harmony, reduce disharmony, and effectively repair their relationships.  The tips are structured within a framework that includes understanding the phases of harmony, disharmony, and repair.  Key points include connecting with your partner through daily gestures, understanding and navigating attachment dyna...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dr. Laura Louis, a seasoned couples therapist, shares her insights and experiences from her 20-year career. She discusses the challenges and joys of working with couples, the importance of effective communication, and how vulnerability and emotional intimacy play crucial roles in relationships. Dr. Laura also discusses common issues such as the negative sentiment...

Send us Fan Mail Sex can be a powerful way to connect, but for many men, it's often the only way they're taught to access vulnerability and emotional closeness.  This can create a rub, especially when partners need emotional intimacy to feel open to physical intimacy. In this blog, we break down the dynamics of intimacy using the metaphor of a wedding cake. Couples thrive when they inten...

Send us Fan Mail Do you two feel like roommates? Or cost-sharing-associates? Have you and your partner drifted into feeling more like roommates than lovers? Just co-parents? Or “cost-sharing-associates?” It’s easy for the initial spark to dim as time passes, but rekindling it is possible. This quick episode talks about how to reconnect and feel love again. I also share why you two have drifted apa...

Send us Fan Mail This episode discusses functional, psychological boundaries and what is not.  What are not functional boundaries? They are if we are behind walls or boundaryless.  We will define that and what physiological boundary violations are. This will also encourage you to reflect on your boundaries as well. Here's the link to the chart I mentioned. You can learn more about our couples...

Send us Fan Mail Mess is one of the content issues that come up in couples therapy. If this is an issue for you, you can check out what you can do on your side of the relationship and what you two can do as a team. Link to the Fair Play Card Deck . Click here to read the blog this episode was inspired by:  Couples Counseling and Your Messy Partner . 

Send us Fan Mail Is your marriage or relationship on the brink? Here are four things you can do to save your marriage. Essentially, there needs to be something different and not more of the same. These four things are usually the most common complaints partners have. Check it out! Click to learn more about our couples therapy agency in Denver, Colorado. 

Send us Fan Mail This episode might be of interest to those of you who may be on the brink of divorce or breakup, for those who don't have a lot of time, and for those who harbor a lot of resentment. In this episode, I share how I define couples' intensives and why they are popular in my practice. Click here for more information about couples intensives . Click here to set up a free coup...

Send us Fan Mail It means being intentional about connection and collaboration.   Sammi and Nate share their framework for staying connected and the eight domains they work on together.   They share what they’ve learned from over 190 episodes of their Date Forever podcast and over 15 years of being together.   Also, they are a lovely couple! Listen to the Date Forever podcast .  Work with Sammi to...

Send us Fan Mail Matt Salis shares his knowledge of sexual health and how it interacts with addiction.   We also talk about sexual desire discrepancies and what you can do about them.  And what’s something that can get you more sex? The Untoxicated Podcast . Echos of Recovery & Shout Sobriety

Send us Fan Mail What are the problems with needing to be right? And what are the issues with holding on to "objective truth." This episode will help you know what to do to fix that. To help you embrace more subjective truth in your relationship. Because relationships are two subjective truths navigating life together. Visit my couples therapy practice website. 

Send us Fan Mail What’s an effective way to go about having more sex when there are desire discrepancies?  I’ll also share what I mean by my acceptance vs control. I’ll address these questions in the context of a recent couples session I had. To learn more about my couples therapy practice, click here: https://coloradorelationshiprecovery.com

Send us Fan Mail Kayla Crane and I are trained in the same school of thought. Kayla shares the critical idea of taking space in your relationship – literally and in your head to create peace. She also shares her experience with couples therapy, her meditation journey, and why she still meditates. In this episode, find out how meditation helps cultivate second consciousness and what that means.  Yo...