In this episode Valerie and fellow human behavior expert Brenda Barros-Rivera continue their conversation about narcissistic abuse and extend their dialogue from the work-place to the home. They cover a broad variety of issues from what to look for, how it feels, how to handle someone in your life who might have narcissistic tendencies, and how to maximize your chances of helping them grow and saving the relationship .
Join Valerie and therapist colleague Jennifer Finlayson-Fife in this marriage counseling case study as they unpack a couple’s complicated story of both emotional and sexual struggle and walk through best ways to help couples with similar struggles . Several issues addressed in this episode including our tendency to want to control our partners in an effort to evoke safety and some of the collusions we participate in to try to play out socially constructed scripts for the perfect marriage.
Join Valerie in this interview that might touch many of us…as we all know or possibly struggle with work/rest balance. In this interview Valerie and former clients Trent and Ashley unpack how Trent was able to overcome his insatiable appetite for achievement by better understanding himself. In a nutshell: when we do not understand our pasts, we often act in unconscious ways that hurt ourselves and others. When we become aware of these things–we make better choices and live in our own integrity.
Join Valerie in a tender interview with former clients Trent and Ashley as they walk through their couples counseling story and both share how they learned that “the problem” wasn’t-in fact- their partner, but that they each had something to learn and ways to grow to create a more loving and less conflictual marriage. AND that when they each took ownership of their own growth, the other was inspired and a beautiful “upward spiral” ensued!
Meet Len and Sheri, married 31 years and embarking on life as “empty nesters”. A couple of military deployments and their kids all having the nerve to grow up and live lives of their own force this couple to finally face issues that they’ve never been able to figure out.