love

Have you fallen out of love?

During our childhood we grow up learning about all the fairy tales full of princesses, princes and happy endings. We learn about Cinderella, the girl who was forced into servitude by her stepmother, who gets a night out at the royal ball and meets her Prince Charming and lives happily ever after. We learn about Rapunzel who was kidnapped as a baby and confined to the top of a tower. Her knight in shining armor comes to save her and they lived happily ever after. We learn about Sleeping Beauty, who ate a poisonous apple and the only way to wake up was to be kissed by her one true love. Her true love comes and kisses her and they lived happily ever after. We learn about all these stories growing up and it gives a false expectation of what happily ever after means. When we become disconnected with one another we can start to fall out of love with each other. Is there anything we can do to revive our happily ever afters with the ones we love?

Earning her Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from East Carolina University, Nicole Stone is founder and owner of Embark Therapy. In her private practice, she works with couples and individuals, focusing on the impact relationships have on her clients’ lives, including their mental and emotional health. Nicole works with partners at any stage of their relationship and with a variety of presenting concerns, including infidelity, lack of intimacy, considering divorce or separation, as well as remarriage, step-parenting and blending families. She has also been trained in Discernment Counseling, has completed the Level 1 Gottman-Method Training for couples therapy, and is a certified PREPARE/ENRICH facilitator.

To find out more about Nicole Stone and her practice, Embark Therapy, you can visit their website or call (919) 397-5626 for an appointment.

Is your love going to last through life?

Hardships can be found all throughout life. These hardships can be at work or at home. At work we have to deal with projects and deadlines that test your time-management skills. At home we have to deal with bills, cleaning and the people you live with. Being in a marriage, you have your own set of trying matters. When you are married, you have to go through these hardships along with your spouse. You have to learn how to be there for one another and help each other get through these hard times.  Learning to express your needs, goals and feelings can prove to be challenging, especially when communication is not strong in your relationship. Do you have the essentials in your relationship that you need for long lasting love?

Earning her Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Hofstra University, Mrs. Carole Cullen is founder and owner of My-Therpist, Inc. in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Mrs. Cullen is a Certified Gottman Therapist & Workshop Leader as well as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She has extensive experience working with a variety of topics including working with families who lost a loved one in the 9/11 attacks. working with at-risk youth and their families, adults with serious mental health and substance abuse issues and with couples in her private practice. Mrs. Cullen has initiated Couples Crisis Care, a new service for couples based on her work with couples and families that addresses the initial and unique crisis that couples face at the onset of an affair being revealed. She has been helping couples for over 14 years in private practice and has a passion for working with couples in her practice to repair and heal their relationships.

To find out more about Carole Cullen and her practice, My-Therapist, Inc., you can visit their website or call (919) 795-0101 for an appointment.

Have you found yourself stuck in a love rut in your relationship? Are you and your partner feeling unfulfilled?

Sometimes, in a long-term, committed relationship, partners begin to feel that, despite their hops about each other, they aren’t being truly fulfilled the way they expected to be at the start of the relationship. As patterns of low expectations begin to form, many couples don’t know how to reach out to each other, confide their wants and needs, and find solutions to problems.

When there’s a prolonged power struggle, people start to feel frustrated, anxious and insecure, among other things. Sometimes, couples have been stuck in a “trouble spot” for too long, and they don’t have the skills to work their way out.

Today’s guest is Dr. Rebecca Matthews, a psychologist with 3-C Family Services who has an extensive background in both research and clinical work. Rebecca is here to discuss how partners can get out of their love rut and back to a place of happiness and content in their relationship.

To find out more about Rebecca and her practice, visit their website or call (919) 677-0101 to schedule an appointment.

Be sure to check out the 3-C Family Services one-day couples workshop series, A New Beginning. The next workshop is scheduled for Saturday, July 27 from 8am to 4pm.