Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text.Yes, for many this little phrase can be triggering for the "well" partner that hears it and triggering for the "sick" partner that says it. What is behind this simply little phrase causing so much disconnection in a parenting partner relationship? Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP unpack some of the stories that might be informing this common parenting partner dynamic and offer some practical ways to stay connected when one partner says "I am feeling sick." 

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text.Parenting is a never ending river of tasks, responsibilities, worries, joy, tender moments, tears, comical exchanges etc. Parenting is constant and in the constancy of parenting many couples find themselves trying to survive the day and get to the next day. This survival mentality makes it hard to communicate and with this many things get left unsaid. These unsaid things begin to pile up and morph into resentments that emerge in passive aggressive communication. Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how to break this cycle of communication and connect as parenting partners. 

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text.Desire can feel elusive for many parenting partners. A couple that once felt close, passionate, and full of desire, can feel tired, alone, and unwanted within the new context of parenting. This shift is normal and happens not because the kids or your partner did something wrong, but simply because the context has changed. Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how couples can rediscover their desire and stay connected as parents. createyourcouplestory.comhttps://www.instagram.com/couples.counseling.for.parents/

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text.Parenting is a new endeavor for a couple. Each pregnancy, each kid bring with it scenarios and situations that are unique and uncharted territory for a couple. So, in this process of parenting both partners are going to have ideas about how to parent, make “mistakes” that they need to learn from, and have certain blindspots in their parenting that need to be brought into view. Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how parenting partners can collaborate with one another and offer one another feedback about what is going well and areas for growth.

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text.The idea that everyone needs praise, affirmation, or encouragement can be counter to what our society teaches and what we learned in our own family of origin. Our culture says, "Be independent, be your own confidence." Your family of origin might have convinced you it is weak or silly to need anything from anyone. Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how and why every parenting partner needs encouragement and how to give it. 

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text.You've heard it and maybe you have even felt it as a parenting partner. "We are just roommates." What can couples do, especially in the first year postpartum, to stay connected. Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP offer some practical steps couples can take to stay intentional about connecting as parents. 

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text."We feel stuck!" How do you change patterns of communication in your parenting partner relationship. So many couples feel like they have the same tired conversations, the same conflicts, and end up feeling the same feelings of invalidation and frustration. Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP identify 4 common patterns of stuck communication in parenting partner relationships and how to get unstuck. 

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text.Everyone copes differently with stress. But when your partner copes with stress differently it can get messy. The difference can get parenting partners in a tug of war that says, “If you would respond to stress the way I do you would feel better.” But what partners are really saying to each other is, “If you would respond to stress the way I do I would feel better.” Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP address this all too common dynamic for parenting partners and give 4 tips for working through this conflict. 

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text.Parenting changes a couple's world. Yet, the change is not equitable. This is one of the most profound areas of conflict, dismissal, and pain for parenting partners. Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss how inequity between parenting partners is real, has to be discussed for the health of the couple relationship, and how to navigate this important and ongoing conversation.  

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text.Which sounds more like you in your parenting partner relationship: My partner would love me or pay attention to my needs if they felt I was enough or my partner is always telling me that I am not doing enough in our relationship? Welcome to the Not Enough Cycle that most parenting partners find themselves circling around in. In this episode Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP describe what the not enough cycle is and how parenting partners can get out of it.