Category Archives: Communication

Communication Problems Series, Part 2: Defensiveness

swordfight

A Sneaky Problem Defensiveness is a big stumbling block to great communication because it’s so sneaky.  You can’t really see it very well unless you’re on the receiving end of it.  When we accidentally hurt someone, it seems so logical to explain how innocent we are.  “I didn’t mean it!”  or “I didn’t mean it […]

Communication Problems Series, Part 1: Criticism

woman smoking

What Are We Talking About? One difficulty with targeting “communication” as a problem in relationships is that the subject is just much too broad.  So we have poor communication.  So what?  What does it even mean, and what can we do about it?  A lot, it turns out.  When we can zero in on exactly what is going […]

Communication Problems Can Be a Big Threat To Your Relationship

annie canoe

  What We Say (And Don’t Say) Matters If you wonder how big of a deal good communication is, there was a time when a problem in communication almost killed my husband. Well, actually, it was I who almost killed him.  And not really “almost killed,” but “almost didn’t save.” The reason communication is so […]

Fighting Over Something Stupid Again?

It Seems So Silly People who come to me for couples counseling are so often frustrated because they keep having battles over the dumbest things ever.  Like when something happens and you suddenly feel upset but it looks trivial to the other person.  You try to just let it go, but it keeps coming back. […]