You're mid-sentence, explaining something that matters to you, and you can tell…your partner isn’t really in it. Maybe they're nodding along, but they have that blank look of disinterest on their face. Or maybe they cut you off and start offering suggestions before you can finish. In any case, you walk away thinking the same thing: they never listen to me. I hear some version of this in almost every couples session. And usually, it's not that your partner doesn't care. It's that listening —...

Many couples come into therapy worried about how often they argue. They wonder if frequent disagreements mean something is wrong with their relationship or if happy couples somehow avoid conflict altogether. The truth is that conflict is a normal part of any close relationship. Two people with different personalities, experiences, needs, and perspectives are bound to disagree from time to time. What matters most isn't whether conflict happens. It's how couples handle it. Some arguments can...

Many people assume that healthy relationships are defined by harmony. They imagine strong couples that rarely argue and always seem naturally in sync. Sure, that may sound appealing. But it isn't particularly realistic. Every relationship—romantic, platonic—includes differences in opinions, preferences, needs, and perspectives. Conflict is a normal part of doing life with another person. I’d, in fact, argue that the strength of a relationship is not measured by the absence of disagreement but...