Health and Family

Men and women communicate in different ways, which may lead to a misunderstanding. In this publication, we describe the ways in which men and women generally communicate and offer suggestions on how to communicate so that misunderstanding is minimal.

Many things, such as distractions, emotional states, beliefs and expectations, differences in communication styles, and self-protection can lead to a miscommunication between couples. In this publication, we point out several things that might lead to a miscommunication so that couples can identify them before they become a problem.

Positive interactions are important to building a strong marriage. When one partner attempts to make a positive connection, how the other partner responds impacts whether the connection is positive or negative. In this publication, we describe what it means to “bid for connection” and what each partner can do to create more positive connections.

Each person brings certain expectations to a relationship from previous experiences and exposures. In this publication, we describe expectations in the marriage and how opening describing these expectations can lead to better marital satisfaction.

Money plays a major role in every marriage, and each partner handles money differently, which can lead to emotionally-charged disagreements. In this publication, we describe the impact money decisions can have on a marriage and offer suggestions on how to communicate with your spouse about money.

After the “honeymoon phase,” many couples find that marriage is not exactly what they envisioned, possibly leaving them less than satisfied with their relationship. In this publication, we describe the normalcy of this feeling, acknowledge that adjustment is necessary and offer strategies for building a strong marriage.

Remarried couples are different from first-marriage couples in that they bring different experiences to the marriage. These experiences can lead to unique difficulties. In this publication, we describe the characteristics of a successful remarriage and encourage communication and commitment.

After divorce, many parents have difficulty establishing the type of relationship they will have in order to co-parent their child or children. In this publication, we describe the different types of co-parent relationships that can be established and offer suggestions on how to interact with a former spouse to maintain a relationship beneficial to raising a healthy child.

Many couples in a stepmarriage bring certain expectations to the new marriage that might be unrealistic, not only for the marriage itself, but for the whole family. In this publication, we describe what some of those expectations might be and offer tips on how to help the entire new family connect and love each other, which takes commitment and time.