You might feel stuck if you believe therapy could help your relationship, but your partner is resistant to the idea. How might you suggest it without causing them to feel trapped or pressured? This blog post focuses on how you can build open lines of communication while addressing any concerns your partner might have, to help them see therapy as an positive opportunity.

People-pleasing is not merely an unhelpful behaviour, but a survival strategy. By examining people-pleasing through the lens of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, we can understand its origins, the emotional toll it takes, and discover how to heal these parts of us to create more harmonious and fulfilling relationships—both inside and out.

Setting boundaries with family and friends isn’t always easy. Honestly, it can feel awkward, emotional, or downright scary. Thankfully, the book Crucial Conversations is the ultimate toolkit for navigating tricky communication scenarios without blowing up relationships—or losing your sanity. This blog will walk you through some of the key takeaways from the book, including practical ways to prepare for and navigate tough talks about setting boundaries with the people you love.

Relationships can often feel like a thrilling yet unpredictable rollercoaster ride, full of highs, lows, and moments of confusion. Sue Johnson offers a guide to building healthier relationships. Her work, rooted in attachment theory, emphasizes the importance of the emotional bond between partners. Johnson provides practical tools to help couples create a stable and loving connection. With these insights, relationships can become resilient, enduring challenges like stress, anxiety, and trauma.

When we hear the word “narcissism,” many of us picture someone who is self-absorbed, arrogant, or manipulative. Narcissistic behaviour can indeed look like that on the surface, but when we dig deeper—especially from the perspective of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy—we begin to see a more complex story. IFS provides a compassionate framework to understand narcissism, and it also offers tools that friends and family can use to support healthier relationships with those who show narcissistic behaviours.

As couples begin to navigate difficult conversations in the therapy office, they gradually realize it is much harder to do the same at home. Although clients and I have joked about this in the past… I cannot (nor do I want to) go to your home to remind you and your partner to “slow down” when trying to communicate.

In place of this obviously uncomfortable situation, I offer couples one of my favourite relationship tools: the Feelings Wheel.