No one ever gets married expecting their marriage to end but divorce happens. Couples can get divorced for any numbers of reasons. It could be that the pair simply found themselves incompatible and were unwilling to try couple’s therapy. It could be that there are issues of emotions or physical abuse or that a partner has been cheating. It could be that children are now in the mix and even though you once thought you were on the same page in raising them, your parenting styles are now drastically different.

No breakup is ever easy, but some breakups can make you feel like you’ve been sucker punched. And during those times, it can become sincerely difficult to see a way forward. Maybe your friends and family don’t seem to understand why you’re struggling so much, but you have every right to your feelings and your personal journey of mourning. (Because yes, you are allowed to mourn over a relationship!)

When it comes to relationships, it seems there is often a driving force behind the couple, or one partner who seems to always have the upper hand. This is often referred to as “wearing the pants.” The partner who “wears the pants” is the one most often in control of the relationship.

Whether it’s expected or sudden, losing a partner is always a devastating heartbreak. The finality of the loss of the love of your life, and the idea that you will move forward in the world without them by your side, might be one of the most difficult challenges you will face.

The older we get the harder it seems to make new friends. People are busy with their families appear to have full social calendar's and aren't always open to make time for new friends.

Middle age is also the time we tend to look around at our social circles. Are our friendships still there? Have we lost friends due to illness, a move, or divorce? Do we want something different out of our friendships? As we age, we tend to have less tolerance or energy for fluff friendships. We want substance and real, genuine connections.

Going through a divorce can bring the worst out of a couple that once promised to love each other forever. Your world might feel like it’s falling apart and your feel unsure about your future. Trying to co-parent when you’re struggling to simply keep going can be overwhelming, especially when it may feel like the ex disagrees with every parenting choice that you are making . Learning to co-parent won’t be easy, but it is possible. Bellow are five strategies that you can start employing now to help you co-parent with your ex.

Many couples are thrilled to find out that they will soon be expecting a baby. Hours are spent picking out the perfect name, perfect paint color for the nursery, and perfect crib or bassinet.

And then a reality suddenly dawns on them… how will being pregnant affect their sex life? Will they even have a sex life anymore? While there are no medical reasons that couples can’t have sex during a normal and healthy pregnancy, they may find their desire for sex waxes and wanes. This is perfectly normal.

"The spark" is a phrase that's often used to describe the initial passion and excitement in a romantic relationship. During the early stages of a relationship, everything feels new and thrilling, and intimacy is high. However, just like a flame that needs constant attention to keep burning, maintaining intimacy requires effort from both partners. While physical attraction and sexual relations are part of intimacy, it goes beyond the physical realm. True intimacy encompasses emotional connection, vulnerability, and a deep bond.

When infidelity occurs in a relationship, it can be very devastating for the parties involved. Infidelity involves breaking a promise to be completely faithful to your partner, and when it happens, it erases the trust that existed in the relationship. Dealing with infidelity can be pretty challenging and it raises tough questions. Should you stay? Should you forgive? Can trust be rebuilt? Will things ever be the same? If you’ve just found out that your partner has been unfaithful and you’re not sure of what to do, this article is for you.

We have a guest blogger visiting our site today. Lucille Rosetti is the creator of Thebereved.org.  Having lost some of the people closest to her, she understands what it’s like, and how it can be an emotional roller coaster that doesn’t always seem to make sense. She created her website as a means of sharing tools to help people through the grief process. Keep reading for some of her tips on how grieve in a healthy way...

Experiencing the death of a loved one is one of the most painful things each person must face. The shock of your beloved friend or family member having passed away, along with the finality of their death is difficult to deal with.

Everyone Mourns Differently

The process of mourning is a very personal experience.

It's rare for us in couples therapy to not spend some time talking about sex. When sex is going well in a relationship it generally makes up about 10% of a couples relationship satisfaction, however, when it's going poorly it become 85% of the relationships problem focus. We've all been told that a healthy sex life is important to maintain relational intimacy but did you know that sex is also good for your health.  An apple a day might keep the doctor away, but an orgasm a day works twice as well!

For many people, the discovery of a spousal affair is the ultimate betrayal. We see many couples in our offices whose relationship has been devastated by an affair. And yet, the betrayal by one does not necessarily decrease the love of either party for the other.  Often times both people in the relationship are in great pain and are desperate to fix the pain that was caused. When you still love someone but the trust has been significantly damaged, is it possible to mend the relationship? Can marriages be rebuilt after an affair?

Love is a beautiful thing, and there’s nothing more amazing than feeling the bond you share with your partner get stronger. If you’re in a happy relationship, you can keep it that way by introducing a few new things into your relationship. Here are 6 evidence-based approaches that will help you enjoy a more fulfilling connection.

As a couples counselor at Solid Foundations Therapy in Downers Grove, I encourage couples every day to stop and schedule time to connect. There’s nothing magic about Valentine’s Day—but it’s good to have a reason to get out and spend time together! And if you know Valentine’s Day is important to your partner, that’s an even better reason to plan a date.

A lot of couples who come to Solid Foundations Therapy for counseling usually cite frustration with their partner as one of the major issues they face. We have found that often times this frustration stems from unmet expectations.

Expectations play a huge role in life and relationship satisfaction. Whenever our expectations are met we are happy, however any time our expectations are unmet we experience disappointment, hurt or anger.  Couples who are frustrated say things like ‘You weren’t very supportive of me when I quit my job to freelance’ or ‘You didn’t plan any special activity for our anniversary’.  These comments highlight covert and unmet expectations. Constantly feeling like our expectations aren't met can lead to resentment and create an unhappy relationship.