I was recently invited to collaborate on an expert panel and share some insights on how to cope with divorce.  I wanted to share with you my 7 best tips from that article.

We all want successful relationships and one way to achieve that success is to avoid research proven things that destroy relationships. Studies have shown that the single best predictor of divorce is the presence of contempt. Otherwise known as the "sulfuric acid" of love - quite a description! The reason that contempt is so destructive is that any statement that is considered contemptuous communicates a feeling of disgust to your partner. Contempt develops in relationships because we feel that our needs are repeatedly not met and that are partner owes it to us to meet them.

This time of year we talk a lot about New Year's resolutions, and often that includes resolutions within your own relationship. It pays to reflect on ways that you can make it better many more times than once a year, but a new January is always a fresh start. One topic that can flood the holiday season is how to deal with in-laws! Let's face it - there are things you don't love about your spouse's mom and/or dad, and our guess is they feel the same about yours. We're only human! But, there are ways to make this easier on yourself - plus, a new year is a great time to start focusing on putting these into action. Here are some practical tips for getting along with your in-laws:

It's that time of year again! Once Halloween happens we know that Thanksgiving is around the corner, and Thanksgiving is our reminder to get ready for Christmas. The season comes and goes quickly, and as lovely as it is to have days off, spend time with family and decorate the house, it has its stresses too. Often times, the biggest area we see these play out is in our closest relationships

It's a dreaded question. It's possibly a question that you have half-heartedly asked yourself dozens of times without being fully ready to believe the answer. If you suspect your significant other has narcissistic traits, your relationship could be in a world of hurt. Reason being, people who possess these traits can be emotional con-artists, zapping you of your energy and making you question yourself at every turn,

Emotional or psychological abuse in a relationship can take a much different, and less obvious in some cases, role in romantic relationships. It may not rear its ugly head in the form of volatile explosions or angry, contempt-fueled outbursts - at times it is more elusive, confusing, or hard to detect. As a victim of emotional abuse, you probably feel low self-esteem, a lack of confidence, controlled, used, manipulated, or what many victims refer to as a constant feeling of "walking on eggshells."

We at Solid Foundations Therapy know that even the strongest of couples at times are faced with life challenges that create an immense amount of stress in the relationship. Many couples find it is more difficult to communicate through these big life changes. That may be due to how tied each person is to their viewpoint on how the transition should be best handled or their individual fears surrounding change. The communication starts to break town, tempers start to flair and conflict ensues.