Couples Counseling For Parents podcast

Available Episodes

5 of 103

Since Kids, We Never Have Time for Our Relationship!
Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text.The back-to-school season brings a whirlwind of activity that can leave even the strongest relationships feeling disconnected. Soccer schedules, school supplies, and new routines create a perfect storm where couples find themselves working efficiently as logistics partners but missing each other as romantic partners.This episode tackles the reality that many parents face during transitional seasons: feeling like you've "gone away" from yourself and your relationship. Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, MACP explore how even couples who excel at coordinating family life can struggle to maintain meaningful connection when schedules explode.We introduce three practical strategies for staying connected without requiring what most parents simply don't have – abundant free time. Through self-reflection, curiosity about your partner, and reimagining how connection happens, couples can maintain intimacy during chaotic seasons. The key insight? Micro-moments matter. Just as small disconnections accumulate to create distance, intentional moments of connection – even just a minute or two – build a foundation of closeness that sustains relationships through busy parenting years.Using the story of Gabby and Latrice, we demonstrate how real couples can incorporate these practices into everyday moments like brushing teeth together or sending a thoughtful text. You'll learn how to ask questions that truly invite your partner to share, how to use the time you already have for meaningful reflection, and how to appreciate connection attempts even when they don't land perfectly.Whether you're in the thick of back-to-school madness or navigating any busy season of family life, this episode offers hope that your relationship doesn't have to disappear when time feels impossible. Try our three-step approach and discover how small moments can create lasting connection during life's busiest chapters.Want to talk with Stephen or Erin individually or as a couple for coaching? Schedule a free consult today: https://calendly.com/ccfp/meet-the-mitchells
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When Your Partner Makes Life Harder
Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text.Remember when you first fell in love? That magical feeling of finding someone who didn't trigger your deepest wounds but seemed to heal them instead? Fast forward through careers, kids, and countless responsibilities, and suddenly those same wounds are wide open again – activated by the very person who once soothed them.This episode tackles the universal feeling many couples experience but rarely discuss openly: the sense that your partner is actually making your life harder rather than easier. Through the relatable story of Greg and Lucia's conflict over forgotten sports equipment, we unpack how seemingly small disagreements transform into major emotional disconnections. For Greg, whose childhood featured constant criticism, his partner's frustration triggers deep feelings of inadequacy. For Lucia, whose father's absence left lasting abandonment wounds, her partner's oversight reinforces her fear of handling everything alone.The breakthrough comes in understanding that our relational pain doesn't disappear – but we can change how we respond to it. When both partners recognize what's really happening beneath surface-level conflicts, conversation shifts from blame to understanding. We provide a practical framework for effective repair: validating each other's experiences, acknowledging impact, taking responsibility, and committing to future changes. As we demonstrate through Greg and Lucia's repair conversation, this approach allows couples to honor both their individual wounds and their shared commitment to connection.Most powerfully, we explore the crucial distinction that explanations are not excuses. Understanding why you react strongly to certain triggers doesn't absolve you from taking responsibility – it empowers you to respond differently. When couples embrace this principle, they transform from adversaries into allies, using their stories not as weapons but as bridges for deeper understanding.Ready to break free from recurring conflicts and build a stronger connection with your partner? Schedule a free consultation through our website to learn how our unique couples coaching approach can help you move from conflict to true partnership or paste this link your URL to view our consultation calendar: https://calendly.com/ccfp/meet-the-mitchells
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What We've Learned From Couples: The 100th Episode!
Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text.In this milestone 100th episode of Couples Counseling for Parents, Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP reflect on the transformative relationship wisdom they've gathered over the years of working with couples facing the unique challenges of parenthood.The insights they share are both profound and practical. They discuss how true bravery emerges when couples face their deepest fears and vulnerabilities; how humility creates openings for healing; and how our universal desire to be truly seen and accepted drives relationship dynamics. The Mitchells explain why genuine curiosity defuses tension, why understanding your partner's childhood story transforms how you perceive conflicts, and why celebrating joy deserves as much attention as addressing problems.Perhaps most powerfully, they reveal how parenting often becomes the catalyst that inspires couples to break dysfunctional patterns. "Having kids amplifies what you want in life and makes you fight for it," they observe. "Your life didn't diminish when you had children—it gave you permission to ask for more."Throughout their conversation, Stephen and Erin weave in practical examples from their own relationship, demonstrating how these principles play out in real life. They emphasize that the goal isn't to eliminate conflict (an impossible and boring aim) but to transform how we approach it, gradually reducing its intensity, duration, and frequency.Whether you're just starting your parenting journey or navigating its challenges years in, these insights offer a roadmap to more connected, resilient relationships. Ready to transform how you communicate with your partner? This episode shows you the way forward.
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When Your Past Lives in Your Parenting
Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text.Remember when you and your partner felt like soulmates, deeply connected and growing stronger together? Then parenthood arrived, and suddenly those old insecurities you thought were healed came rushing back with surprising force. You're not alone, and no—you didn't make a mistake choosing each other.Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP state, "What's happening is a normal developmental challenge that catches most couples by surprise." The intense stress of parenting activates our nervous systems, bringing along familiar patterns, thoughts and feelings from our past. Your partner, who once soothed these core wounds, seems to be triggering them at the worst possible moment.Through the story of Annabeth and Selena, we explore how one partner's feeling of "everything falls on me" collides with the other's sense that "nothing I do is ever enough"—creating a painful cycle that many parents recognize. When Annabeth expresses feeling overwhelmed and alone, Selena withdraws, feeling criticized and inadequate. Each response intensifies the other's core wound, despite their deep love for each other.The path forward isn't about solving logistical problems or dividing tasks differently. It begins with understanding which pattern you tend toward, exploring the deeper stories behind your reactions, and learning to talk about the feelings themselves rather than arguing about surface issues. When partners can vulnerably share "When this happens, I notice I start feeling alone like I did growing up" instead of launching into criticism or defensiveness, everything changes.This episode offers a four-step process to transform these painful cycles into opportunities for deeper connection. You'll learn to recognize your pattern, understand its origins, communicate vulnerably about the feelings, and establish regular check-ins to prevent buildup.Ready to turn relationship regression into progression? Listen now, and discover how the very wounds causing disconnection can become your pathway to profound intimacy.
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36:08
From Shame to Understanding - A 5-Step Guide to Talking About ADHD with Your Partner
Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text.Navigating the complexities of ADHD in relationships requires more than just understanding the condition—it demands a thoughtful approach to communication, empathy, and mutual support. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP tackle the tough questions head-on: What do you do when your partner acknowledges their ADHD but refuses any support or treatment? How can you communicate the impact of their behaviors without triggering shame? What happens when you notice your partner criticizing ADHD traits in your child—the very same traits they demonstrate themselves? Each of these scenarios creates unique relationship dynamics that can either strengthen or fracture your partnership, depending on how you navigate them.The heart of this episode is our five-step process for addressing ADHD in relationships. It begins with truly believing your partner's experience, whether they're sharing how ADHD affects them or how they're impacted by your ADHD behaviors. The second critical step is removing shame from the equation—no belittling, no treating your partner like "another child," no judgment. From there, we emphasize education, understanding each other's ADHD stories, and finally taking meaningful action through appropriate supports.Ready to transform how you and your partner talk about ADHD? Listen now, and discover how to replace criticism with curiosity, defensiveness with understanding, and conflict with compassion. Your relationship—and your family—will thank you.
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