By Jamie C. Williamson, PhD People in long-term relationships make mistakes. The impact your partner’s mistakes have on your relationship depends largely on how you make sense of why they behave as they did. We call this an “attribution” of cause. And, what you see as the cause when your partner makes mistakes depends mostly
Resolving conflict
A New Way to Discover the Best Co-Parenting Partnership Type
By Jamie C. Williamson, PhD Divorce should not be entered into lightly, especially if you are a parent. Marriages may dissolve. But co-parenting is truly a “to death do us part” commitment. Parents must choose (and it is a choice) whether they will have a friendly divorce or an acrimonious one. The decision
4 Easy Steps to Coping with Perpetual Marital Conflict
By Jamie C. Williamson, PhD Most marital conflict is unsolvable. In fact, according to renowned relationship researcher John Gottman, 69% of marital conflicts are perpetual problems that couples will never resolve. Only 31% of the problems in marriage are solvable. This is true for both happy couples and unhappy couples. So, it is not the
Protect Your Marriage: Eliminate These 4 Toxic Interactions
By Jamie C Williamson, PhD I’ve been working with couples who resolved to make one final effort to restore the happiness in their marriage. They sincerely want to try, but also don’t want to prolong the pain or keep rehashing the same tired arguments. So, they begin by asking “How do we know if it
Four Warning Signs on the Road to Divorce
by Jamie C. Williamson, PhD There are four signs that signal a progressive, downward relationship spiral leading to divorce. But, you can learn to recognize these cautionary signals and take a detour that will put you back on the path to a long, satisfying marriage. Which couple are you? This week I met two young
Effective Apologies Turn Conflict Aftermath into Healing Afterglow
By Jamie C. Williamson, PhD I’ve said it a thousand times, but people still don’t believe me. Conflict can actually be good for your relationship. Conflict can lead to greater understanding. Conflict can clarify similarities, differences, and preferences. Conflict can help couples learn how to deal with future conflict. And, perhaps most importantly, conflict can
Improve Communication in Your Marriage Before it’s too Late
by Jamie C. Williamson, PhD Wondering how to improve communication in your marriage? Frequent problems don’t ruin a marriage. But, ineffective communication can. So, you might need to improve communication in your marriage before it’s too late. If it seems that all you and your spouse do is fight about money, the kids, sex, and
Great Dad, Inattentive Husband? How to Initiate the “Fix”
by Jamie C. Williamson, PhD Around Father’s Day traditional and new media produce pithy articles about the characteristics of great fathers. These lists typically include valuable advice like: spend time with your children, discipline with love, be a role model for good behavior, teach your kids to appreciate what they have (don’t be an ATM),
