A forty-year old single mom who was online dating in Washington thought she’d found the man of her dreams. Recently divorced, she had three daughters, ages 12, 10 and 7 who will never see their mother again. This mom met a guy online and began a relationship. Her mother and family knew about him but had never met him. They had been on several dates and he had spent the night numerous times. She went with him to a Mariners’ game in Washington and ended up decapitated and mangl

Expectations get in the way with reality and setting your expectations too high can lead to frustration and breakups. There are things you can expect though and, in fact, you should expect in a healthy relationship. These things are not negotiable. If your relationship doesn't have these qualities, it will be one-sided in power and not give you the emotional or physical fulfillment a healthy relationship should provide. The top 7 realistic expectations you can and should coun

Since you were small you were told to keep trying, that experience leads to perfection, and the more you experience, the better job you’ll do. That may be true in most things, but when it comes to your marriage the more experience you have with dating, the less content you are with your spouse. When you first begin dating you may compare a past love with who you’re currently with, but when you find that special someone they stand out as different, leading you to feel a deeper

Are you just in the wrong place at the wrong time or are you finding yourself constantly being approached, wined and dined by unavailable men? It’s becoming easier for many women to find themselves in a situation where they have the right chemistry, great conversation and intimacy with someone they later find out is newly married, recently separated, but not divorced, or married for life but not happy. There are numerous reasons people continue to date even when they’re commi

This past week I had a client who was relatively new to me. She is young, professional and seeking a relationship with a good guy. She wants a family and feels ready. She was all smiles this week, a change I noted immediately. When visiting with her more, I mentioned how happy she looked. She smiled coyly and told me she was in love. Being in love makes all of us happier. We feel cared for and euphoric with the idea that we matter to someone else. I asked her about the guy, a

Every marital therapist I know (as well as any other sort of couples therapist) talks about “Date Night” as a way of restoring a couple’s intimacy. Date nights are supposed to be a time off with just you and your partner. Dinner, movies, and trips are common types of “Date Nights” prescribed. This economy overwhelms couples when date night is suggested. “How can we do that? We don’t have money to go out to eat or go to the movies. We cannot even pay the babysitter.” I have pu