Does your partner keep breaking promises, leaving you frustrated and unsure if you can trust them? Rebuilding trust after repeated broken promises is difficult, but understanding the root causes of these challenges is the first step toward healing.

Is social media hurting your relationship? A Los Angeles Couples Therapist weighs in on how social media affects relationships, gives expert advice on setting social media boundaries for couples and when to seek couples therapy to restore intimacy and connection.

Navigating the world of online dating can be both exciting and overwhelming. Whether you’re new to dating apps or returning after a break, understanding how to align your personal goals with modern dating can transform your experience. In this post, we’re sharing relationship advice from a seasoned couples therapist and dating coach on clarifying your intentions, mastering dating app etiquette, and improving future connections to help you build a love that lasts.

Dating in upscale Los Angeles neighborhoods like Beverly Hills or West Hollywood comes with unique pressures. Whether single or in a relationship, navigating meaningful connections in this fast-paced city can be challenging. Therapy offers invaluable support to understand dating patterns and overcome personal blocks.

Every marriage or relationship goes through periods of growth, stress, change, and—hopefully—a renewed sense of connection and understanding. However, over time, many partnerships are affected by different facets of energy incompatibility. While understanding and defining energy incompatibility is important, seeking out a Los Angeles couples therapist to help you determine where it is impacting your relationship is crucial to your continued commitment to closeness.

Differences in sexual desire are common in relationships, often leading to frustration and distance. This "discordant desire" can be challenging, but hope exists. Couples therapy, offered in LA and online, can help you navigate these issues and find solutions that honor both partners' needs for a more fulfilling connection.

Have you ever found yourself sitting across from your partner at the end of a long day, barely exchanging more than a few words? The silence might have once been comforting, a sign of your closeness. But lately, it feels more like a chasm. You’re both tired—stressed from work, overwhelmed by the demands of life in Los Angeles—and somehow, in all the chaos, the connection you once cherished seems to have slipped away.

Do you rely on your partner to manage your emotions? In long-term relationships, this can create imbalance, disconnection, and resentment. Learn to build self-regulation skills.

Believe it or not, when you get to the stage of asking yourself, “Why don’t my relationships work out?” you are already on the way to answering your own question. Why? The fact that you have taken time to step back, reflect, and notice a pattern is the beginning of being able to initiate real change. By doing so, you are not only setting yourself up to find long-term partnerships, but you are also taking a healthy leap into your own growth.

Many couples in therapy have regrets about not seeking help sooner. What relationship patterns could have been addressed earlier? Learn how a Los Angeles couples therapist can help you stay close and break old habits.

When we are in a state of nervous system dysregulation or reactivity, often giving our partner a mood warning goes a long way to creating a pathway for clear and supportive communication.  Sharing a mood warning requires the practice of self-awareness, and as couples begin to implement this for themselves and in their connection together, it becomes an inherent – and loving – way to respond to one another. 

Ever heard of "tolyamory"? Coined by Dan Savage, it's when partners in a relationship "tolerate" outside sexual encounters without open discussion or agreement. Does your partnership feel safe and connected, or are doubts lingering? This article from a couples therapist delves into the complexities of tolyamory and its impact on relationships.

For those who are new to couples therapy, making that first appointment can often come with a lot of questions. It is entirely normal to feel a sense of trepidation when it means discussing your family patterns, dating history, relationship tensions, or communication work.

While the practice of gift-giving can be a source of joy and delight, sometimes it can come wrapped with an unexpected addition: tension and resentment. Gift-giving practices, perceptions, and expectations are often tied to our fundamental belief systems about giving and receiving pleasure and affirmation. Let’s gently untangle why gift-giving can present such a loaded source of emotion for couples.

Rituals of connection – or consistent practices of engagement – are a way to not only deepen the intimacy and bond of your marriage, they are also a steadfast force to fall back on during challenging times in a partnership. Working with a therapist in couples therapy to look at how rituals of connection are either feeding or impeding your connection is an essential way to proactively work on growth and awareness in your relationship.

Polyamory and open relationships are increasingly considered as valid and fulfilling alternatives to traditional monogamy, offering unique paths for intimacy and personal growth. However, navigating these non-traditional relationship styles requires intentional and open communication, a strong emphasis on mutual respect for boundaries, and a deep commitment to building trust among all partners involved. 

In many partnerships, one individual naturally takes on the role of the "default parent," managing the majority of childcare and household responsibilities. While this can arise from various factors like work schedules or agreements, it often leads to imbalance and strain within the marriage. This article from a Los Angeles couples therapist explores the stresses and joys of this dynamic and highlights the importance of open communication and seeking support through couples counseling.

True relationship harmony hinges on authenticity and depth of connection. However, for many partnerships, a chronic pattern of people-pleasing can lead to the erosion of intimacy and honesty. Trying to determine if certain behaviors are people-pleasing—and what drives those behaviors—can be a complex task.

Weaponized incompetence is the deliberate act of feigning ignorance or incapability as a long-term behavior pattern. It is often highly influenced by societal conditioning, normalizing of outdated roles within a partnership, or intentional lack of self-awareness. At times, weaponized incompetence can even be a subconscious behavior, so being able to identify when and where it happens—and how to reroute patterns of it—is crucial to harmony within a partnership.

Recently there has been a lot of discussion about what constitutes both mental labor and emotional labor, but how do they differ?  And how do they impact relationship dynamics?Often when couples are struggling to connect, understanding the definition of these terms—and how they are impacting your relationship--can lead to a shift in detrimental patterns that are keeping you and your partner from true intimacy.