Marriage and Family Counseling

There are two relationship that have the potential to push us into poorly thought out and self-defeating behaviors. One of those relationships is parenting and the other is marriage. I see marriage as very seriously underrated in terms of difficulty level and in many cases one or both of the partners may not have ever seen a truly high functioning marriage, so some people are trying to create something they may not have had the opportunity to experience first-hand. What was the state of your parents’ marriage? Would you be willing to have the same marriage? If not, you might want to consult a specialist to help you develop the kind of mutually nurturing relationship that we are all entitled to have.

Basic posture of good will


Healthy conflict resolution tools


Folly of disrespect


Mistakes and how to correct them


Benefits of win-win attitude


Dangers of assumption (mind reading)


Three Responses to conflict

1. Attack ("You're an idiot!)
2. Protect ("No I'm not!)
3. Educate ("What happened?")
1. Attack ("You're an idiot!)
2. Protect ("No I'm not!)
3. Educate ("What happened?")

On the highway of marriage, think of me as AAA


Just because you're on a bumpy road doesn't mean you're in a bad vehicle!

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There are rules and principles that lead to a health life, marriage and family, and they aren't necessarily the rules our parents showed us.

Charles L. Gustafson, Marriage and Family Therapist, MFT

About Charles Gustafson

Charles L. Gustafson has been a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist since 1973. He offers a combination of interactive psychotherapy and educational information in his approach to counseling.