Welcome to the Sweitzer Counseling blog. Here you’ll find strategies to navigate the challenges we face as individuals, partners, and parents. Enjoy…and let me know if there’s a topic you would like me to cover in the future.
All parents want their children to succeed, and grades are certainly a significant way our society measures childhood success. But how much emphasis should parents really place on grades? And what is the best way to respond to our children when the going gets tough at...
Couples often come to me for marriage counseling because they find themselves stuck in a pattern of arguing. Every conversation seems to lead to a fight, and it creates stress and an emotional energy drain on both partners. The couple feels trapped and hopeless and...
How would you like a simple, effective strategy to manage intense feelings and defuse an argument with your partner? Read on… 1: Recognize the "Stuck Cycle" As anyone in an intimate relationship knows, argument and conflict can feel really difficult and heavy. In an...
Take a moment to think about the characteristics of your relationship with your child. Do you face power struggles or feelings of powerlessness? Do you try to fix things for your child, or do you ask them to “use their words” only to find them incapable of doing so?...
When your child's emotions lead to problematic behavior, like hitting or breaking things, how do you respond? In the heat of the moment, most parents resort to ineffective methods of diffusing the situation and/or punishing the child. It doesn’t have to be this way!...
It's easy to understand the appeal of gardening. Whether you grow your own vegetables or simply plant a flower or two, it is rewarding to place a seed or shoot into well-nourished soil and watch patiently as it grows and...