Dating, Divorce & Breakups
These articles trace the realities of searching for love and, in some cases, the fallout that surrounds its loss. They also honor the often-challenging process of helping clients define for themselves what constitutes a healthy, meaningful relationship, even when it means choosing to be single. Articles range from explorations of hookup culture and midlife dating to "last chance" couples therapy, collaborative divorce, and the financial realities of separation. They explore the sacred work of heartbreak, the politics of no-fault divorce, and the upending question of when to call an end to a relationship. Learn more about how to support clients through ambivalence, grief, high-conflict breakups, and post-divorce reinventions.
Dating in the Age of Algorithms
How Does Physical Chemistry Factor into Digital Dating?
In a society where most people spend more time on dating apps than in places of worship, the pursuit of a romantic partner has become a holy quest. Read more
The current political push to eliminate no-fault divorce is dangerous, particularly for women in abusive relationships. Read more
The person burdened with the decision of whether or not to end a marriage may not be the one who’s already left the marriage—emotionally or sexually. Read more
What would you do differently if you could rekindle love with your ex? Read more
More people are remaining single these days—and they're not unhappy about it, biding time between partners, or in need of fixing. Read more
Even when you've spent your entire career teaching people how to have relationships, finding love is still a risky, humbling, and unpredictable... Read more
How can therapists help divorcing clients share a message that conveys hope and healing? Maybe it's time to counter the divorce-as-catastrophe trope that runs... Read more
How can we meet last-chance couples exactly where they are? Read more
The fundamental goal of a good divorce is simple yet challenging: children must experience their parents as a working partnership that reliably nurtures and... Read more
The hardest part of letting go of anger can be accepting that the offending party is never going to apologize, never going to see themselves objectively, and... Read more
As clinicians, we need to keep alert to the struggles couples have had during the pandemic and find ways to support those who couldn’t hold together. Read more
Working with couples on the brink of divorce during this pressure-cooker time requires us to help them “reach up” to their highest values. Read more
Helping clients who find themselves single again in midlife navigate a new world of dating. Read more
If a loving couple shares a relationship history with no major deal-breaker issues, is “uncoupling” the best path? Read more
Three simple steps from Buddhism to help hostile spouses cultivate a spirit of nonviolence, generosity, and compassion toward their ex-partners. Read more
On college campuses across the country, hooking up has all but replaced traditional, old-school dating rituals. With its rawness and frantic incoherence... Read more
Therapists need to be prepared to go against the conventional clinical wisdom in helping later-life recouplers and stepfamilies handle the unique challenges... Read more
Are you a therapist that's "marriage friendly?" It's the inclination towards helping clients in good relationships stay together. Read more
A therapist shares how to walk with a client couple through to their divorce and then let them go. Read more
The therapist's job is to help client couples close one door and open another. Read more
We don’t become therapists to inflict emotional pain, but eventually we learn that sadness, anger, shock, and disillusionment can be part and parcel of... Read more
At least 30 percent of couples coming to therapy have fundamentally different agendas about whether to try to save the marriage. If we’re ever going to... Read more
Neil Clark Warren, the founder of the successful matchmaking site eHarmony, talks about what’s necessary to find a good, compatible match. Read more
In the rush to preserve marriages, therapists must also recognize that there are marriages that shouldn't be saved. Read more
Prenuptials may seem unromantic and focused on worst-case scenarios, but they can clarify critical issues and avoid problems down the road. Read more
While the end of a marriage is undoubtedly painful, it doesn't have to be pathological. Read more
A book review of For Better or For Worse: Divorce Reconsidered by E. Mavis Hetherington and John Kelly Read more
Every day, warring and desperate husbands and wives show up in our offices agonizing over divorce. Have we been too blithe in encouraging them to go ahead, too... Read more
Some intriguing findings refute popular myths about marriage. Read more
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