Couples will have disagreements from time to time. It's a normal part of being in a relationship. Could it be possible that two people think the same way about everything? Statistically, that would be a very slim chance.  What are some signs that the arguing is crossing the line into abuse? Here is a list of examples:

Now that you're here, we'll dive into the unhealthy vs. healthy ways of coping and understand that there is a wide spectrum of ways to do it. One valuable tool in our coping arsenal is the creation of a coping skills list. This comprehensive list is designed to remind us how to avoid snowballing into an unhealthy direction so that over time, our brains can automatically cope in healthy ways.

I was looking through some papers I wrote in grad school over 20 years ago. I ran across a paper on Seasonal affective disorder, better known in the DSM- V-TR as Major depression with seasonal pattern or S.A.D. I must have picked that topic to study since I was from Massachusetts and like so many of us that moved to Phoenix, I never liked the winters there. Like so many therapists going through grad school, we often end up wondering if we fit into certain diagnosis when we are learning about them….

Oftentimes people think they're coming to counseling to improve their communication and I usually tell them that although healthy communication is required for a healthy relationship, it’s not usually communication tips or skills that will help their relationship. If it was, they could just learn communication tips by reading a book or searching “communication skills” online (which I’m all for, by the way)….