Most couples come to therapy wanting the same thing: to feel understood, safe, and connected — especially in moments of conflict. And yet, when emotions run high, we often find ourselves reacting in ways that don’t reflect who we truly want to be. If you’ve...
The holiday season has a way of amplifying everything — joy, connection, stress, and exhaustion. While many families look forward to time together, the shift in routines, heightened expectations, and emotional intensity can also bring unexpected challenges, especially...
For many people, Christmas slowly turns into a machine. The lists grow longer. The expectations get louder. The pressure to make everything magical — for kids, partners, parents, extended family — starts weeks before December even arrives. Somewhere along the...
As we wrap up this four-part series inspired by the work of Cameron Madill, it’s time to look beyond just the two of you and explore another critical factor in relationship health: community. If you’ve been following along, you know that we’ve already talked about why...
If you’ve been following along in this four-part series, you know we’ve been exploring what makes relationships thrive — not by accident, but through intention, connection, and shared joy. In the first installment, we looked at how couples can stop “drifting” and...
Hello, friends! It’s Sabrina again. In our first post in this series, I introduced you to the work of Cameron Madill — and why it’s important to design your relationship rather than drift through it. Cameron’s Funshops make that process joyful and intentional. Today,...
As we round the corner into Thanksgiving, it’s tempting to lean into the familiar tropes: gratitude lists, “five things I’m thankful for,” or the ever-present reminder to count our blessings. But at Core Values Counseling, we want to lean into a subtler, more grounded...
My husband Eric and I have known and appreciated Cameron Madill’s relationship work for a long time. After attending the opening premiere of the first Funshop, we knew this was something worth sharing, and I was thrilled to sit down with Cameron recently to talk about...
Every couple has their own little quirks and inside jokes — the kind of shorthand that makes you both smile even in the middle of a busy day. But what if you took that idea even further by implementing one of our fun relationship tips, and creating your own secret...
Cultivating shared meaning is one of those phrases that sounds big and abstract — but in reality, shared meaning shows up in the small, everyday moments that make a relationship thrive. The Gottmans describe shared meaning as the culture of your relationship: the...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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....
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,...
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,...
