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Carpenter Couple & Family Counseling, PLLC
Erica Carpenter, Ph.D., LMFT-S

Blog


Some Questions to Help Build Emotional Intimacy
One of the best ways to continue building emotional intimacy in a relationship is for partners to continue to learn about each other as...


Thinking Systemically
As a couple and family therapist, I have been trained to think systemically and look at situations and relationships through a systemic...


Primary vs. Secondary Emotions
You may have heard the phrase “anger is a secondary emotion”, but what does that mean? To understand this phrase, let me first describe...


Getting to Know Your Partner’s Inner World
How well do you know the inner world of your partner or spouse? Do you know how they think about things, their fears, dreams, etc.?...


How Self-Differentiated Are You?
One of the masters of family therapy, Murray Bowen, created the concept of differentiation of self, which is defined as “the ability to...


Creating Shared Meaning in Your Relationship
Relationships between partners/spouses take work in order for the relationship to continue building and growing. According to Dr. John...


Finding a Therapist: Some Tips to Help You Get Started
If you have made the brave decision to begin the process of therapy, one of the hardest parts of the process can be finding a...


What to Expect from Couples Therapy
Starting anything new can be a little scary, including going to therapy. It may even be a little scarier if you are going to therapy with...


Where Do We Learn to Take on the Roles We Do in Relationships?
As a family therapist, I am interested in learning how the relationships in one’s life impact who they are, both in and outside of other...


The Art of the Adult Timeout
I know what you’re probably thinking: that timeouts are for children who are throwing a tantrum. But believe it or not, the premise of...
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