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Relationship Checkup
As we flip our calendars to February, the focus on love and romantic relationships intensifies. For some this may feel fun and exciting, but it is not uncommon to feel a mix of emotions about our intimate relationships. There aren’t many Valentine’s Day cards that capture feelings like frustration, anxiety, disappointment, longing, and stuck. Navigating…
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Now More Than Ever, We Need to Empty Our Emotional Jugs
The past two years of the pandemic have flooded many of us with more feelings than we have capacity for, which has led to a lot of feelings spilling out. We have all experienced the spillage of those emotions. Maybe our fuses feel shorter, or we are crying more, or maybe we are drinking more…
Read MoreWhat Is Sex Therapy?
This blog was originally posted at YourTango and is reposted here with permissions. Here’s how to tell if sex therapy is right for you. How many people have you known who confided in you that they went to a sex therapist or were considering sex therapy for intimacy problems in their marriage? For many people,…
Read MoreWorkshop Review: Therapeutic Posture: Maximizing Treatment Success within the Attachment Based Alliance
Last month, Council for Relationships’ Professional Development Program offered a workshop to help behavioral health professionals enhance the therapeutic alliance, specifically the therapeutic bond. Attachment theory provides one of the most potent theoretical frameworks for the formation of an effective, real, attuned working alliance. Over several decades, the presenter and Council for Relationships staff therapist,…
Read MoreMichelle and Barack: The Perfect Imperfect Love Story
Dr. Michele Marsh is a licensed psychologist and certified sex therapist at Council for Relationships’ Center City Office. Dr. Marsh is also the Director of the Sex Therapy Track in the Master’s in Family Therapy Program in partnership with Thomas Jefferson University. Pictures of President Obama and Michelle Obama glow with energy and broad smiles,…
Read MoreThe Daily Temperature Reading – A Skill for Committed Relationships
Yes, you can love someone for a lifetime, but you need the knowledge and skills to maintain and grow the relationship. It’s not how much you love each other that strengthens a long-term relationship; it’s how you resolve differences and preserve fun and sensuality. Luckily, everyone can learn, practice, and improve their relationship skills. Later…
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My Message to Women: You do not have to suffer in silence
Elyse Stein Batoff, Psychologist, LMFT has years of experience working in the area of Women’s Psychological Health Services. She has offered the emotional support that has been needed by many women as they go through physical changes and issues ranging from infertility, pregnancy, postpartum depression, sexual concerns, and menopause. Collaboration with physicians such as OB/GYN’s…
Read MoreEverything you need to know about CFR’s Online Therapy
Who is a good candidate? At Council for Relationships, we believe that everyone can benefit from therapy at some point in their lives. Every year, our therapists help thousands of clients live their best lives by helping them improve their important relationships. Our Online Therapy services are intended for clients who cannot see our…
Read MoreShould You and Your Partner be Scheduling Sex?
Former Staff Therapist Ben King, MFT specializes in helping couples experiencing difficulties with communication, emotional/physical intimacy, and sexual difficulties. This blog was originally posted on his website and is re-published here with his permission. Many couples will have less sex later in their relationship compared to the beginning. You may have less time, not feel the same desire,…
Read MorePlanning a Wedding? Here’s Why You Should Go to Premarital Counseling
Wanda Sevey, MDiv, LMFT helps individuals, couples, and families with communication and relationship skill building. She is trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy and highly skilled at coping with stress, anxiety, and depression. You just announced your marriage engagement. Congratulations! As you prepare for your wedding, be sure to place premarital counseling near the top of your to-do…
Read MoreSix Reasons You Should Go to Therapy This Year
Staff Therapist Ryan McMillian, DMin, MFT specializes in moving individuals and couples out of “stuck points.” Read on for his advice on how to have your best year yet. The New Year is here, so it’s time for the annual review. Any goals left incomplete from last year, habits you wanted to develop or relationships…
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Like Great Wine, Sex Can Get Better with Age: Strategies for Satisfying Sex Throughout Your Entire Life
Staff Therapist Dr. Alishia Kalos is a licensed psychologist with specialized experience in addressing sexual and relational concerns such as intimacy, communication, desire, arousal, satisfaction, pain, relationship contract negotiation, unusual sexual interests, and sexual behavior challenges. Alishia sees clients at our Center City and Paoli locations. Sexual health and intimacy are core elements of…
Read MoreWhen to See a Couples Therapist
This blog post was originally published on Counsel Philadelphia and is shared here with the author’s permission. Your relationship may seem like its been in trouble for a while. It may be that you are not communicating anymore or there is a lack of sex or affection. Even when it is clear that your relationship…
Read More“Why Won’t My Therapist Just Tell Me What to Do?” A Response from Ben King
Last week. NY Magazine posted this What your Therapist Really Thinks article by Lori Gottlieb, which addressed the question “Why won’t my therapist just tell me what to do?” Throughout this article, the author makes several great arguments as to why a therapist doesn’t, and in many cases shouldn’t, give their clients advice. When a client asks…
Read MoreIs Therapy a Good Idea for You?
For many people, seeing a therapist isn’t an exciting idea. You may think that you should be able to deal with any problem life throws at you, your family or friends will look at you in a negative light if they knew, therapy will become another vehicle for someone to tell you how to…
Read MoreWhat an Eclipse and Therapy Have in Common
A commentator said of Monday’s eclipse, “Everyone was just a person with something in common at that moment.” At Council for Relationships, we know that the need for therapy is something that everyone has in common – either at certain points in life or on an ongoing basis. CFR therapists see more than 5,000 people…
Read MoreOvercoming Emotional Distance from Your Lover
By Sammi Nguyen When your relationship settles into a long-term routine, you might find that a queasy feeling of distance has grown up between you and your lover when you weren’t looking, or that trivial disagreement over washing the dishes escalates in no time flat to fights with shouting and tears. The easiest thing in…
Read MoreViews From A Millennial Therapist
By Sarah Epstein Sarah Epstein is a Master’s student in the Couple and Family Therapy program at Thomas Jefferson University and Couple and Family Therapy Intern at Council For Relationships. Read the full Family Therapy Magazine article.
Read MoreTips on practicing good communication
Staff Therapist Wanda Sevey, MDiv, LFT is skilled at helping individuals, couples, and families with communication and relationship skill building; LGBT issues; reducing and coping with stress; sex issues for couples and individuals;recovery from affairs; and anxiety and depression. “They taught us how to square dance in school but they never bothered to teach us how to communicate…
Read MoreWhy Most Relationship Problems Can’t Be Solved
Relationships naturally ebb and flow. Even for the most intimate and closest of partners, communication can break down and devolve into conflict, leading to resentment and stress. How do you keep love alive even when you disagree? You probably have a few regular issues in your relationship that come up on a regular basis. One of you…
Read More9 Communication Tips for Couples
Your greatest contribution to effective communication is clarity, focus, and non-defensiveness; your second greatest is support for your partner in providing the same. Here are some specific tips: Take responsibility for yourself. When you have an issue, speak up. Don’t expect your partner to guess or know what you like, want, feel, or need. Don’t…
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