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The great paradox of wealth… As the money increases, do happiness and satisfaction increase too?

Despite the wonderful things money can provide, there is also a great deal of responsibility that comes with teaching and maintaining good moral standing with regard to wealth. Society has taught us that having a lot of money paves the way for increased power, higher social standing and a comfortable life. Unfortunately, however, complications arise when couples and families have a lot of money but fail to model and teach things like ethics, boundaries and respect for consequences.

Oftentimes, entitlement, depression, anxiety and substance abuse are strongly correlated with increases in wealth, and according to our guest Rob Danzman, a systemic type of narcissism can even develop as an outward family value.

Rob is the owner and clinical director of Fonthill Counseling in Chapel Hill, NC. With more than a decade of experience helping families work out difficult issues like substance abuse, mental illness and academic problems, Rob has seen his fair share of complicated. The good news is, Rob has solutions for some of these issues and is joining us to share pointers on building strong family values and goals.

To find out more about Rob and his practice, visit their website or call (919) 351-5838 to schedule an appointment.

What is the key to being mindful in your marriage?

The idea of mindfulness is to be present to ourselves physically, emotionally, spiritually and literally in the moment. Being mindful involves focusing on your breathing and thoughts rather than projecting yourself into the future with worries and anxiety. Sometimes it is much easier, mentally, to think about the what ifs– What if this happens? What if that happens? What if we break up? What if we can’t afford this? In turn, what becomes more challenging is staying in the present moment.

When life is plagued with disconnection and stress, things can get tough. More and more people are finding themselves running on autopilot, essentially. They are not fully and deeply present with themselves and each other. And sadly, a lot of people end up just accepting this as the inevitable. If couples can learn to develop skills for mindfulness, however, their communication, expression and intimacy abilities will flourish.

Today’s guest is Dr. Kevin Metz, a couples specialist with Lepage Associates, and he’ll be discussing some of the techniques for mindfulness that he teaches and encourages in relationships. While helping people get back to a positive place in their marriages, Kevin inspires a level of discipline and mindful awareness.

To find out more about Kevin and his practice, visit their website or call (919) 572-0000 to schedule an appointment.

Are you and your partner on the same team when it comes to parenting?

When two people get married, there are natural stressors that become apparent. When a child enters the picture, and there’s now parenting involved, certain marriage stressors are intensified. Let’s face it– there’s no manual for parenting. And while raising happy, healthy and confident children is the ultimate goal, there’s a lot of pressure that comes with it.

If a couple is frequently arguing about how to parent, much stress is added to the family unit and everyone ends up being miserable. If there’s constant bickering back and forth about logistics, there’s no room to create an atmosphere of warmth and support. Instead, there becomes an antagonistic way of interacting that puts everyone in the family on edge.

Today’s guest is Dr. Gabrielle Johr, a licensed clinical psychologist with Orenstein Solutions. Gabriella says the key to good parenting is team parenting, which means unfailingly supporting one another and bringing out the best in each other. And once the team mentality has been established, both parents become a model for cooperation and parenting becomes a little easier.

To find out more about Gabriella and her practice, visit their website or call (919) 428-2766 to schedule an appointment.