A day doesn’t go by that I’m not reading or thinking about the role AI is playing in modern lives and relationships. But a few headlines have taken up residency in my subconscious, including a study conducted by Vantage Point Counseling Services. After surveying 1,012 adults living in the U.S. about their interactions and relationships with artificial intelligence systems, Vantage learned that 28% of the adults claimed to have at least one intimate or romantic relationship with a chatbot…

A very wise friend recently asked me for a ‘tip of the day’ for long-term coupling success (despite the fact she’s been married to her husband twice as long as I’ve been married to mine. Hat tip to them!) I shared with her some of my recent learnings that I try to keep top of mind both with my clients and with my own spouse. But true to form, it was this same wise friend who ended up sharing the ‘tip’ that stuck with me throughout the evening…

But don’t take it from me.  In 2024, the sitting Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, issued a public health advisory. You know, like linking cigarette smoking to lung cancer. Or strongly discouraging alcohol use during pregnancy. Murthy’s advisory, titled “Parents Under Pressure,” declared that parental stress is a significant public health issue. Financial insecurity, social media, loneliness, and the pressure of balancing work and family demands (not to mention the lingering after-effects of the pandemic, social inequalities, political unrest, and the existential threat of climate change) are leading to alarming outcomes for parents.

Remember that sing-song retort from the playground: “I know you are but what am I?” It was classic recess material for 2nd graders, right alongside “I’m rubber, you’re glue; whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you.”

As silly as it sounds, this phrase reminds me of a powerful tool I often recommend in couples therapy when partners are working on improving how they handle conflict in marriage or long-term relationships. It’s called The Assumption of Similarity.

In couples counseling, I often emphasize that the relationship is the real client. This simple but powerful reframe helps couples shift perspective: instead of battling each other, they unite to strengthen the bond they co-created.

Is weekly couples therapy not creating the momentum you hoped for? You're not alone. Many couples begin traditional weekly counseling only to find themselves stuck in a familiar cycle: two steps forward, one step back. After each session, the pressures of daily life—parenting, work, and stress—can slowly pull couples back into old habits.

Marathon Couples Therapy isn’t your typical weekly counseling format. It’s an immersive, high-impact approach designed to help couples make meaningful progress fast—like running a marathon at sprint speed.

People often ask me if I watch the show Couples Therapy and what I think of its star therapist, Dr. Orna Guralnik. Unequivocally, I gush. In my opinion, Orna is everything you want in a couples therapist. I’ll expand on that!

Sometimes, couples wonder if the train has already left the station. In other words, is it too late for couples therapy? Too much water under the bridge?

Do you ever feel like you and your partner are stuck in the same disagreement on repeat—no matter how hard you try to resolve it? You’re not alone.

When I work with couples, parenting conflict is a regular theme. Of course, it is! Kids don’t come with instruction manuals. Everyone wants to do their doggone best.

I recently killed two hours on a flight home from Boston by watching the movie “The Descendants,” starring George Clooney, which was set in Hawaii. Maybe you’ve seen it.

What happens when a couple can’t even agree on whether or not they should try couples therapy?

On a recent trip to Hanoi, dear friends took my spouse and me to a restaurant that serves just a single dish:  Bánh Cuốn, a rich broth with rice dumplings and Vietnamese herbs.