One of the keys to effective partner communication is knowing how you have been impacted by your home environment (positively and negatively). Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss why this matters and how knowing the impact of your past can free you to have the future you want as a couple and family. 

Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP address how couples can talk to one another about the recent school shootings in Denver and Nashville and how to talk with kids about these events. 

We hear it a lot from couples: "My partner did this and made me feel..." Can we make our partner's feel a certain way? Are we responsible for our own feelings? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell MACP tackle these questions in this weeks show. 

There are 3 mistakes that you and your partner could be making that are leading to feeling disconnected. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss these mistakes and help couples learn how not to make them. 

At some point in every parenting partner relationship a couple will face hard times. Hard times like receiving a scary diagnosis, infertility, death of a child, death of a loved one, struggling to feel at home as a parent...you name it. When these times come how can a couple make it through? Stephen Mitchell PhD and Erin Mitchell MACP give couples three things to hold onto in these moments that will help you and your partner make it. 

Having couple conflict when your kids are in the same room happens as parents. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how couples can determine if this is a moment for modeling healthy conflict or a moment to avoid as parents. 

Resentment has a stacking effect in parenting partner relationships. Over time it stacks up and leads to serious conflict and hurt. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how resentment stacks up in couple relationships, how to tell if it has happened in your relationship, and how to keep it from ruining your parenting partner relationship. 

What we mean here is transitions like getting ready in the morning, coming back home from work or transitions that happen when you have a partner in the military who is gone frequently or travels a lot for business. However, the transition happens in your parenting partner relationship many couples find that they experience increased stress, increased conflict, challenges communicating, and struggle to feel like a parenting team. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how you and your partner can stay connected and stay a parenting team in the midst of life's transitions. 

Being critical or feeling criticized is something every parenting partner experiences. This pattern often leads to conflicts and resentment in parenting partner relationships. Want to know how to shift this pattern? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how criticism can become a part of every couple relationship and how to "get rid" of it. 

One of the most common struggles for parenting partners is feeling like their partner is not meeting their needs. We all have needs in relationships. How can you get your needs met in your relationship? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how partners can identify their needs, express their needs, and meet one another's needs. 

What is the difference between reacting and responding when communicating with your partner? Is one a healthier way to communicate than the other? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss these questions and give you some tips on how to implement healthier communication in your parenting partner relationship. 

What are the silent killers in a couple relationship? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss what the silent killers are and how to avoid them. 

From in-laws to finances to work to technology, it can be hard for parenting partners to define and set healthy boundaries. What are boundaries and why is it so hard to set healthy ones? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss the purpose of boundaries and how parenting partners can define and set healthy boundaries.  

Are you tired of dead end dialogues in your parenting partner relationship? Do you keep having the same fight over and over again with nothing changing? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP talk about how parenting partners can stop fighting and actually "get somewhere" when they disagree.

One of the most common barriers to parenting partners connecting is grief. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP share how to cope with grief and stay connected as parenting partners. 

Talking about mental load as parenting partners is one of the hardest conversations to have! Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP share their own experience of how they have unsuccessfully and successfully navigated this topic. 

What do you do as parenting partners when you feel like you have lost your "spark"? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how couples can rediscover their spark. 

This is one of the most challenging conversations for parenting partners to have without getting defensive. Parenting is hard. Parenting makes you both tired. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how the goal in this conversation is to understand what tired means for your partner and to try and make changes to support them. 

We hear this all the time: "My partner and I can't agree about parenting styles!" Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP share how to have this conversation as a parenting team rather than parenting adversaries. 

Many couples feel that they “lose” compatibility with their partner post-kids. “We used to agree on everything…We used to want to spend time together…We used to have the same goals…Now we can’t agree on anything (parenting styles, sleep, how the kids eat, in-laws etc)…We don’t even want to be around each other we are so tired and just want to sleep…It feels like we don’t want the same things anymore.” Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss the radical change that parenting brings to a partner relationship and how to keep discovering your compatibility as parenting partners. 

What advice would you and your partner give your younger couple selves? Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell MACP discuss some of the advice couples have said they wish they knew back then.  Also, they will share their personal thoughts about what advice they would share with their younger couples selves.  

Parenting is chaotic and stressful. Stress is overwhelming. Overwhelmed people act overwhelmed. They shut down, numb, distract, get hyper vigilante, feel angry, spin out of control in the whirlwind of their thoughts, and generally find it difficult to connect with others. How can parenting partners navigate the day-to-day stress of parenting and still feel connected?  Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP offer couples the "magic formula" for staying connected in the everyday stress of parenting. 

How can parenting partners navigate the moment in their relationship when one says to the other, “I don’t think we are doing okay and I want to get some help,” and their partner responds, “We are fine, things are not that bad.” This is not an uncommon occurrence for many parenting partners or any couple for that matter. It taps into both partner's vulnerability. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how this conversation can be one of connection rather than conflict. 

Mother's Day is coming this weekend and for many parenting partners the day can feel a bit intimidating and potentially disappointing. What makes for a meaningful Mother's Day and how can partners make sure they make the mom to their kids feel special? Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss the one key component needed to have a great Mother's Day. 

One of the many things that changes when couples move into the parenting years is their sex life. One of the primary things that influences a couple's sex life is each partner's personality. Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP talk about how being introverted or extroverted can shape parenting partners conversations about sex and how much sex they have. 

Yes, for many this little phrase can be triggering for the "well" partner that hears it and triggering for the "sick" partner that says it. What is behind this simply little phrase causing so much disconnection in a parenting partner relationship? Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP unpack some of the stories that might be informing this common parenting partner dynamic and offer some practical ways to stay connected when one partner says "I am feeling sick." 

Parenting is a never ending river of tasks, responsibilities, worries, joy, tender moments, tears, comical exchanges etc. Parenting is constant and in the constancy of parenting many couples find themselves trying to survive the day and get to the next day. This survival mentality makes it hard to communicate and with this many things get left unsaid. These unsaid things begin to pile up and morph into resentments that emerge in passive aggressive communication. Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how to break this cycle of communication and connect as parenting partners. 

Desire can feel elusive for many parenting partners. A couple that once felt close, passionate, and full of desire, can feel tired, alone, and unwanted within the new context of parenting. This shift is normal and happens not because the kids or your partner did something wrong, but simply because the context has changed. Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how couples can rediscover their desire and stay connected as parents. createyourcouplestory.comhttps://www.instagram.com/couples.counseling.for.parents/

Which sounds more like you in your parenting partner relationship: My partner would love me or pay attention to my needs if they felt I was enough or my partner is always telling me that I am not doing enough in our relationship? Welcome to the Not Enough Cycle that most parenting partners find themselves circling around in. In this episode Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP describe what the not enough cycle is and how parenting partners can get out of it. 

For many parenting couples physical touch can be complex and a topic of conflict. In fact it can feel like a daily opportunity to feel rejected, abandoned, disrespected, ignored, and controlled. How does the parenting context influence touch in your couple relationship? How can you and your partner communicate respectfully and honestly about your needs related to touch?  

Parenting couples are tired and stressed. How do you communicate respectfully and productively as a parenting couple when you are exhausted and stressed? This context is hard to change during the parenting years so couples have to learn to communicate in the midst of feeling tired and stressed. In this episode we give you 4 practical steps you can take to develop an "open" communication posture that can help you through the tired and stressful times, and improve your couple communication. 

Grandparents can be such a wonderful and vital part of your kids lives! Also, grandparents can be a significant support and help to your couple relationship. The loss of healthy, involved grandparents can be a profound grief for couples. This loss can be due to death, mental illness, distance, toxicity, conflict, etc. Whatever the reason, partners need to understand how this grief impacts them individually and their couple relationship. Without understanding, the grief can create disconnection between partners. As the holidays draw near and idyllic time with family is in every song and movie, this episode can help you and your partner navigate your story of loss. This can help you both feel understood and connected this holiday season.