new year’s resolutions

Do you know how to keep your relationship exciting?

Are New Year’s Resolutions for couples a good idea? With the New Year comes new resolutions and new promises to ourselves to do better in the upcoming year. After the holiday meals and goodies we resolve to better our physical health by eating better, exercising more, and cutting out the sweets and sodas. We promise to kick our bad habits of smoking, drinking, or biting our nails. Some decide to become more organized, reduce stress levels, and be more independent. We seem to be more focused on making ourselves better with these resolutions, but what about our relationships? Is there something we can do in the New Year to keep our relationships health and exciting?

Earning her Doctoral Degree in Counseling Psychology at Temple University, Dr. Susan Orenstein is founder and director of Orenstein Solutions in Cary, North Carolina. Dr. Orenstein has devoted her professional career to helping individuals and couples improve their most intimate relationships. She specializes in relationship and couples issues. Dr. Orenstein is committed to providing state-of-the-art practices in marital counseling and to that end, continues to attend professional training programs.

To find out more about Dr. Orenstein and her practice, Orenstein Solutions, you can visit their website  or call (919) 428-2766 for an appointment.

SMART Resolutions: Do you have what it takes to better your relationship for the New Year?

The New Year is a time for resolutions to create better habits for the upcoming year. After all the holiday feasting we resolve to better our physical well-being with a promise to eat better, exercise more, and cut out the sweets and soda. We start to kick the bad habits by deciding to quit smoking, drink less alcohol, and stop biting our nails. To improve ourselves we resolve to become more organized, reduce stress, and be more independent. These are all resolutions we decide to do to better ourselves, but what can we do to better the relationship we have with our loved one for the New Year?

Earning her doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy from Texas Tech, Dr. Laura Bryan is the Clinic Director of Pfeiffer Institute Reach. She has over 10 years of experience working with individuals, couples and families facing a wide range of issues, from depression and anger to divorce and parenting. Dr. Bryan is an Assistant Professor in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Pfeiffer University in Raleigh. She is also the Director of the Capital Chapter of the North Carolina Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

To find out more about Dr. Bryan and her practice, Pfeiffer Institute Reach, you can visit their website or call (919) 941-2900 for an appointment.

It’s that time of year again… What are your New Year’s Resolutions? What about your relationship resolutions?

At the start of a new year, many people try to set goals for themselves, their relationships, and their families. With the highest of hopes, they plan for the best and most positive possible outcomes. The problem, however, is that some people sometimes set their expectations a little too high and then become frustrated and overwhelmed when they don’t accomplish everything exactly as they had planned. And then some things, like relationship resolutions, are given up on altogether.

The reality is that couples and families can sometimes be overcome with all of the little things life has in store- work, kids, taking care of other family members, and other pesky responsibilities. In many cases, couples don’t cherish and nurture their relationship and end up taking it for granted. They don’t realize it’s an entity that needs cultivating and developing just like anything else.

Today, our guest, Dr. Susan Orenstein of Orenstein Solutions in Cary, NC will be discussing how couples can use the New Year as a way to motivate themselves to set goals as a team. As a licensed psychologist and the director of Orenstein Solutions, Susan says it’s the perfect time for couples to take stock of their relationships, clarify their goals as a pair, and come up with a good action plan for 2013.

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

Check out Susan’s Pairs Workshops here, and be sure to find out more about the PAIRS App for your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.