Blog - Family and Couples Counseling in Colorado

Playfully Reimagining Self-care

Playfully Reimagining Self-care

These days the phrase “self-care” is thrown around so much that it has almost lost all meaning. When venting to a friend? They recommend self-care. Feeling overwhelmed at the office? Practice self-care. Need alone time? Self-care. Upsetting news story? Self-care. The phrase has morphed into a cure-all. Is your self-care routine feeling as tired as the phrase itself these days? Is the potency of your routine feeling less strong? You are not alone. During the pandemic and still to this day, health and mental health professionals recommend self-care as a key way to put energy and work back into ourselves. Some [...]

By Jonathan Zalesne|2023-05-01T21:56:17+00:00May 1st, 2023|Individual Therapy|

Could Telehealth Couples Therapy Be Right for You?

Could Telehealth Couples Therapy Be Right for You?

Have you and your partner ever discussed trying couples counseling but struggle with scheduling in-person sessions? Well, you’re in luck, because telehealth couples therapy could be a great fit for you! Many people who need couples therapy don’t schedule it because it is just too difficult to find a local therapist who can work during the hours they need. In fact, many couples spend months or years disagreeing about even going to couples counseling for that very reason. One of the biggest benefits of virtual couples counseling is the ease of scheduling and the ability to conduct a session in the [...]

By Courtney Redman|2023-04-29T15:31:07+00:00April 28th, 2023|Couples Counseling|

What Keeps the Passion Alive in Long Term Relationships?

What Keeps the Passion Alive in Long Term Relationships?

Written by Kate Pauley How to keep the passion alive in long-term relationships may be one of the most sought-after answers for couples today. Because human beings alone are incredibly unique and complex, being in partnership with one another just makes things that much more complicated. Because of this there is no single, straightforward, holy grail answer as to what keeps the passion alive in long-term relationships, however, there has been some research done on what contributes to sexually satisfied couples’ satisfaction or dissatisfaction. David Frederick, Ph.D., of Chapman University was the lead researcher on one of the largest [...]

By Kate Pauley|2023-04-03T22:26:28+00:00January 6th, 2023|Couples Counseling|

When Old Patterns Return

When Old Patterns Return

A lot of people ask the same simple question when starting therapy: does it work? The answer to that question can be less simple. In short, you get out of it what you put into it. If you’re occasionally invested, you may occasionally see results. If you’re consistent and engaged, you will consistently see the impact of your efforts. The second stage of that question is, what happens if the problem comes back? People can spend significant time and energy exploring a problem and doing the work to repair and create new patterns in their lives, but that doesn’t mean they [...]

By Kate Pauley|2023-04-03T22:26:48+00:00December 27th, 2022|Couples Counseling|

Roles and Negotiations in Relationships

Roles and Negotiations in Relationships

It’s no secret that in a relationship there are roles that each person holds. One of the best assets of a highly functional relationship is when roles are fluid, with clear expectations and communication. Over the course of a relationship, there can be several factors that impact the roles that partners hold, and when or how those roles may need to change. Relationships often get stuck when a partner feels unappreciated, burnt out, or left out with no way to get their partner to understand. When a relationship has room to re-negotiate roles, it allows for the unexpected in life to [...]

By Kate Pauley|2023-04-03T22:27:43+00:00December 21st, 2022|Couples Counseling|

Empathy: The Antidote to Resentment

Empathy: The Antidote to Resentment

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of empathy? Some people associate it with pity, feeling bad for someone else. Others think of it as being in someone else’s shoes. Both can be close but there’s another element to add. Empathy is feeling with someone. It’s looking at their experience and taking the perspective of what it must be like for them, while still having your own separate experience. In relationships, empathy is a powerhouse of creating space for repair. The lack of empathy is a place where resentment can thrive. So let’s take a look at [...]

By Kate Pauley|2023-04-03T22:28:08+00:00December 10th, 2022|Couples Counseling|

What Does Having Trust In Relationship Look Like

What Does Having Trust In Relationship Look Like

Written by Jamie Tolle Having trust within a relationship is a foundational piece to a healthy, deep bond. It sprouts connection, confidence, and security and helps foster honesty and vulnerability. Needless to say, trust is a big word that holds so much weight and value. Brene Brown, a researcher, recognized the lack of language to talk about it and decided to do some digging. She found a definition from Charles Feltment that sums up what trust means perfectly: Trust is choosing to risk making something you value vulnerable to another person's actions. Needless to say, trusting [...]

By Jamie Toll|2022-10-04T14:35:44+00:00September 29th, 2022|Couples Counseling|

Learning to Trust Your Intuition

Learning to Trust Your Intuition

Written by Kate Pauley Part III of my travel blog series. One of the most special things about traveling alone is having the opportunity to do what you want, when you want, all day long. As a woman, I often find myself in the "people pleasing" role. When someone asks me, "what do you want to do tonight" I typically respond with, "no preferences, totally up to you." And I would do this in all aspects of my life. "What do you want to eat?" "I'm up for anything." "Where do you want to go on vacation?" [...]

By Kate Pauley|2022-10-04T17:23:21+00:00September 27th, 2022|Individual Therapy|

Befriending Boredom

Befriending Boredom

Written by Kate Pauley Part II of my travel blog series. Several years ago, I came across this concept of "allowing yourself to get bored." I don't remember where I read it, but the idea was, if you can allow yourself some time to be bored, what you really want will become clear. I thought this sounded great, and sometimes shared the idea with my clients, but I hadn't actually put this into practice. Until now. When I structured my solo travel, I didn’t plan to move around too much, I really wanted to get [...]

By Kate Pauley|2022-10-01T17:42:40+00:00September 15th, 2022|Individual Therapy|

A New Way to Set Intentions

A New Way to Set Intentions

Written by Kate Pauley This is part of a 3-part series on experiencing growth through traveling from the perspective of a therapist. Part I For a long time I have wanted to solo travel, and with COVID, grad school, life, there just never seemed to be a "good time." So eventually, I just committed. I decided that as a therapist, I need to expand my view of the world, meet new people, learn new perspectives, and grow myself as an individual. This series covers some of my reflections on traveling from the perspective of a therapist. [...]

By Kate Pauley|2022-10-01T18:17:30+00:00September 1st, 2022|Individual Therapy|

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