by Sabrina Walters | Sep 9, 2025 | Attachment, Communication, Connection, Core Values, Couples, Gottman Method, Marriage, Relationships, Spiritual
Shared meaning is one of those phrases that sounds big and abstract — but in reality, it shows up in the small, everyday moments that make a relationship thrive. The Gottmans describe shared meaning as the culture of your relationship: the rituals, roles, goals, and...
by Sabrina Walters | Sep 9, 2025 | Attachment, Communication, Connection, Family, Parenting
One of the shifts that can feel both surprising and necessary in adulthood is the way our relationships with our parents change. As young adults, it can feel natural to want to share everything — calling home every day or filling in your parents on every detail of...
by Sabrina Walters | Aug 27, 2025 | Anxiety, Communication, Connection, Family, Transitions
School is starting, the leaves are turning, and pumpkin spice is about to make its annual debut. For many of us, fall carries a sense of rhythm and routine that summer often lacks — a chance to return to familiar patterns, nourish our bodies, and reconnect with...
by Sabrina Walters | Aug 21, 2025 | Core Values Counseling, Counseling, Counseling Portland, couples therapy, Couples Therapy Portland, Mental Health, Therapy Portland
At Core Values Counseling, we want you to know one thing above all else: we care about your mental health. Our deepest desire has always been to make counseling accessible, safe, and supportive for as many people as possible. That’s why the recent changes to Oregon...
by Sabrina Walters | Aug 18, 2025 | Conflict, Counseling, Emotions, Family, Grief, Parenting, Therapy Portland
In Part 1 of this series, we explored what it means to love a parent who may not be able to meet your emotional needs. And in Part 2, we learned how to parent your own children while navigating that same dynamic. Today, we turn to a part of this work that often goes...
by Sabrina Walters | Aug 8, 2025 | Conflict, Connection, Family, Parenting, Therapy Portland
In Part 1 of this series, we explored what it means to love a parent who may not be able to meet your emotional needs. Now, we’re turning our attention to parenting your own children while navigating that same dynamic. This can be one of the most emotionally...
by Sabrina Walters | Jul 31, 2025 | Communication, Connection, Counseling, Counseling Portland, Depression, Emotions, Family, Neurofeedback Portland, neurofeedback therapy, Parenting, Therapy Portland
It’s a painful truth for many of us: the realization that a parent we love deeply may not be emotionally available in the way we need. We want to feel seen, supported, and understood — but instead, we often walk away from interactions feeling dismissed, misunderstood,...
by Sabrina Walters | Jul 23, 2025 | Connection, Counseling Portland, Couples, couples counseling, couples therapy, Couples Therapy Portland, Intimacy, Marriage, relationship counseling, Relationships
There’s a quiet ache that can settle into long-term relationships: the feeling of coexisting rather than truly connecting. You’re raising kids, building careers, caring for aging parents — and somewhere in all that hustle, the person you once felt closest to...
by Sabrina Walters | Jul 16, 2025 | Communication, Conflict, Connection, Counseling, Counseling Portland, Couples, couples counseling, couples therapy, Couples Therapy Portland, Emotional Regulation, Emotions, Marriage, relationship counseling, Relationships, Therapy Portland
If you read Part 1 of this series, you saw how a simple pause — especially when paired with playful rituals — can help kids regulate big emotions through connection. But pausing isn’t just for little ones. In our adult relationships, it’s just as powerful....
by Sabrina Walters | Jul 9, 2025 | Communication, Connection, Emotional Regulation, Emotions, Parenting
One of the most powerful tools we have as parents and caregivers is simple: the pause. It’s not something most of us were taught growing up. Many of us didn’t have caregivers who paused; we had people who reacted. But choosing to pause — to stop,...
by Sabrina Walters | Jun 27, 2025 | Anxiety, Communication, Connection, Counseling, Counseling Portland, Emotions, Family, Parenting, Therapy Portland
As parents, we so often feel the pressure to be calm, steady, and composed — especially when we’re struggling inside. We want to protect our children from our hard emotions, to shield them from the anxiety, sadness, or overwhelm we carry. But the truth is,...
by Sabrina Walters | Jun 24, 2025 | Communication, Connection, Counseling, Counseling Portland, Couples, couples counseling, couples therapy, Couples Therapy Portland, Depression, Gottman Method, Marriage, Neurofeedback Portland, neurofeedback therapy, relationship counseling, Relationships, Therapy Portland
Three Practical Steps to Reconnect and Realign In Part 1 of this series, we explored what can happen when one partner has gone through a season of personal growth — and the other hasn’t. It’s more common than you might think, especially in long-term...
by Sabrina Walters | Jun 12, 2025 | Communication, Connection, Counseling, Counseling Portland, Couples, couples counseling, couples therapy, Couples Therapy Portland, Depression, Gottman Method, Marriage, Neurofeedback Portland, neurofeedback therapy, relationship counseling, Relationships, Therapy Portland, Transitions
Navigating the Emotional Gap with Curiosity and Compassion It’s a situation I see often in couples counseling: one partner embarks on a journey of personal growth — through therapy, spiritual practice, a career shift, or a big life transition — and the other...
by Sabrina Walters | Jun 3, 2025 | Connection, Couples, Couples Therapy Portland, Family, Gottman Method, Marriage, relationship counseling, Relationships
Summer has a way of getting away from us, doesn’t it? One minute we’re talking about warmer weather, and the next thing we know, school is starting again and the chaos of fall is creeping in. That’s why now is the perfect time to plan — not just for vacations...
by Sabrina Walters | May 29, 2025 | Attachment, Communication, Connection, Counseling, Counseling Portland, Couples, couples counseling, couples therapy, Couples Therapy Portland, Gottman Method, Marriage, Relationships, Therapy Portland
In the first post of this series, we explored the importance of accepting influence in relationships. Now let’s look at how this principle can completely shift the way we experience conflict with our partner. When couples seek out couples counseling,...
by Sabrina Walters | May 15, 2025 | Communication, Conflict, Connection, Counseling, Couples, Couples Therapy Portland, Gottman Method, Marriage, Relationships
In my work with couples, one theme that comes up again and again is the importance of accepting influence from one another. This idea, drawn from the Gottman Institute’s extensive research on what makes relationships thrive, is one of the strongest...
by Sabrina Walters | May 7, 2025 | Communication, Connection, Counseling Portland, Couples, couples counseling, Finances, Financial Focus, Relationships
Spring often brings a sense of renewal — but when you’re facing economic stress, it can also cast a heavy shadow. Groceries cost more, gas strains the budget, and planning a summer getaway might feel out of reach. Still, even in financially uncertain...
by Sabrina Walters | Apr 30, 2025 | Celebrations, Counseling Portland, Couples, Couples Therapy Portland, Family, Health, Neurofeedback Portland, Retreat, Self-Care, Therapy Portland
As the days get longer and the sun starts peeking out more often, many of us find ourselves dreaming of summer. Vacations, weekends at the coast, backyard BBQs — it’s a season that holds so much potential for joy, rest, and reconnection. But here’s the...
by Sabrina Walters | Apr 23, 2025 | Connection, Counseling, Couples, couples counseling, couples therapy, Couples Therapy Portland, EMDR, Marriage, relationship counseling, Relationships, Therapy Portland
I’m back this week with the third and final installment of our series on EMDR. If this form of therapy is new to you, start here. Last week, we explored what EMDR looks like in a session. Today, we’re talking about what it could mean for you and your partner if...
by Sabrina Walters | Apr 16, 2025 | Counseling, Counseling Portland, EMDR, Emotions, Neurofeedback Portland, neurofeedback therapy, Therapy Portland
Last week, we kicked off a three-part series on a form of therapy called EMDR (read more about that here), and you might have some questions. If EMDR sounds a little mysterious, you’re not alone! Many clients come to me curious — and maybe even a bit...
