For most couples, finding the sweet spot of intimacy, emotional regulation, gratitude, and empathy can be difficult. The Gottman institute recommends mindfulness as a practice to help with finding this space. Mindfulness is a practice of awareness in your mind, body, feelings and very person. “Mindfulness increases your sensitivity to your experience, which helps you to understand and respond in new ways.” Check out this link to a great article on how to incorporate mindfulness in your relationships: https://www.gottman.com/blog/how-to-use-mindfulness-to-strengthen-your-relationships/?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=RSS -Eddie Continue reading Couples, Intimacy and Mindfulness

I once had a mentor say sometimes the death of a vision is necessary for re-birth (loosely caught from my brother Godfrey). For the last year I have worked in community mental health in a position where I do therapy with families of troubled adolescents. I have learned a lot, but ultimately that is not the position or the sweet spot in therapy for me in the long run (on another note I will continue with Homeward Bound working to transition teens back home after residential treatment- which I love). I have accepted a position with Light of the Rockies … Continue reading Moving On…Vision in Sight

I was listening to a sermon via podcast this morning and began to focus on the scripture in Genesis 32:24 where Jacob wrestles with the angel…which is believed to have been Jacob wrestling God. “This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless … Continue reading Invitation to wrestle with God

Have you ever thought, “I just feel like I’m not connecting,” in relation to you kids…especially your adolescents? I’ve worked with adolescents and parents for years (going way back to a youth ministry internship and working at the Boys and Girls club in 1998). But what I’ve learned over the last couple years has greatly impacted the way I think about adolescents and their caretakers. Teens deeply long to be known: they just might not say it that way. Most teens seem to spend the majority of their time on electronics, but that is not because they are trying to … Continue reading Connecting with your kids & teens

“Nothing vast enters the life of mortals without a curse.” – Sophocles I’ve been doing some reading and thinking lately about our tendency to blame social media, the internet, or electronics on our moods, lack of discipline, zoning out, and generally not engaging others. It’s as if our devices or media outlets somehow turn themselves on or open themselves up. Media and electronics are a vast resource but can feel like a curse at times. The good news is we can regain control of our devices and our lives. Here is a short list by Lori Deschene of questions we … Continue reading The internet (FB, social media, etc.) isn’t killing you

Life has changed a lot in the last two months. Moving is hard. Moving mid school year is difficult for everyone, kids and parents. Moving to a new state, with two new jobs in new careers, two new schools (for the kids), a new house, my mother-in-law moving with us, you get the picture. It feels like a whole new life and in many ways it is. But in many other ways it has a familiarity to it. We are still adjusting to the schedule in most aspects of daily living. So how does one create a new schedule in … Continue reading New life, new schedule, change is hard

So often we get a plan in our head, the way we think things should go, the way we expect them to go, even the way we hope they will go. Then the inevitable happens: plans change. I had this ideal in my head that I would finish up my second Master’s Degree and everything would fall perfectly in place. I would graduate, have the perfect job, and move my family before the school year started. Clean, easy, perfect. But that did not happen. I graduated (well in theory…the degree still has to be conferred because of the thesis), I … Continue reading If You want to Make God Laugh: Make a Plan

For more than 10 years Megan and I have been mentoring couples through some of life’s biggest transitions. We began using Prepare-Enrich primarily with pre-marital couples in 2007, but we have seen the material work as primary resources for blended families, parenting, and other relational/marital needs. Now having completed my Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy, we are prepared to offer training for marriage mentors and Prepare-Enrich facilitators in your setting. No matter if you are in a clinical setting or in a church, Prepare-Enrich is a great resource for you! If you would like preparation to work with relationships, … Continue reading Prepare-Enrich Facilitator Training