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“I don’t like Dad, I love you Mom!” You don’t forget words like that; trust me, I know. My son was seven or eight years old and we were on a short vacation with my parents when he made this proclamation to my wife. I was standing outside the bedroom door of the condo where … Continue reading Parenting Mistake
If you are like me, sometimes you look around in your home, your community, and the world and feel overwhelmed by the pain. So many people are hurting. Children are stressed to the point of thinking about taking their own life. Parents struggle to respond when adolescents seem rebellious, angry, lost, and out of control. Married couples … Continue reading Connection Is The Cure For Relational and Emotional Pain
I have been reading Brene Brown’s leadership book entitled “Dare to Lead”. If you are familiar with Brene’s work you know that this book is full of talk about vulnerability, empathy, connection, and relationship. So, since we at Connections Family Counseling are passionate about building a community of connected families it makes sense that we would … Continue reading Five Empathy Skills That Create Connection
Connections Family Counseling, LLC is now offering online counseling in Quincy Illinois and the surrounding areas. The world has changed and is changing in ways that we could never have imagined a few short weeks ago. We are changing with it by continuing to offer high quality mental health services to meet the needs of our current … Continue reading Online Counseling
I often talk with parents who are concerned about video game addiction. They tell me about the games their children play online, the amount of time spent, the disagreements, behavior change and struggles of navigating the new frontier of technology. Video Game Addiction: Recent studies have raised concerns about the impact that online gaming has on … Continue reading Video Game Addiction: Is my child addicted?
Marriage therapy is focused on helping couples heal the hurts that have accrued over the years in a relationship. It is common for couples to enter marriage therapy deeply hurt, angry, and frustrated. It is also common for couples to have a hard time articulating exactly what it is that brought them to such a … Continue reading Marriage Therapy: The Four Horsemen
I graduated with my PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision on May 12, 2018. I was privileged to be the commencement speaker for Adams State University's graduate school ceremony. Below is the text of my Address: Great Accomplishment Graduates!! Is this a great day or what?!! If you are like me, there were moments in … Continue reading Service through Presence
Sometimes in marriage counseling we encounter couples that overcome their demon dialogues, create a new dance of intimacy, and rewrite the story of their marriage. Yet, just when it appears they will move to a deeper level of connection one partner brings up a seminal incident that they just can’t seem to “let go”. Susan … Continue reading Forgiveness in Marriage
What is the most important thing you hope to teach your son before he turns 18? Many parents focus on skills like, driving a car, spending money wisely, working hard, or study habits. But, research seems to show that teaching our sons emotional intelligence may be the most important thing we do. In 2003 researchers … Continue reading How to Teach Emotional Intelligence to Your Son
How do you create a great marriage? At the end of couples counseling sessions I often ask, "what is one thing you could do to serve your spouse this week?" If a great marriage is something that is created, I believe serving your spouse is the first act of creation. What are some ways we … Continue reading How to create a great marriage