2220 Mountain Blvd. | Suite 240 | Oakland, CA | 94611
  • 510.701.0846
February 12,2026

Growing into Your Relationship Means Learning How to Stretch

In our last post, we talked about how most couples experience incompatibility eventually. We also detailed the universal emergence of...

Continue Reading
January 15,2026

Yes, You Really Are Incompatible — and That’s a Good...

Relationship incompatibility seems like a bad thing, right? After all, we’re flooded with ways to discern compatibility from the get-go:...

Continue Reading
December 11,2025

Romantic Love May Be the Best Kind of Bait-and-Switch

You’ve likely heard of the “honeymoon” or “infatuation” stage of romantic love -- and you’ve almost definitely experienced it. This...

Continue Reading
November 13,2025

How to Be Surprising and Fun… By Making a Plan

Why should you make a plan to be surprising and fun with your partner? “Relationship” with a capital R can...

Continue Reading
October 16,2025

What Does It Take to Create an Emotional Safety Zone...

Where are the “emotional safety zones” in your life?  These are relationships where you can express difficult emotions without fear...

Continue Reading
September 18,2025

Stop Having Frustrations — Start Having Requests

Remember the last time a conversation reached an impasse in your relationship? Instead of seeing your partner as a teammate,...

Continue Reading
August 14,2025

Why You Need to Close the Exits in Your Marriage

“Close the exits.” When you hear that phrase in reference to your marriage, what does it make you think about?...

Continue Reading
July 17,2025

How to Recognize Your Relationship’s Power Struggle

It’s never fun to feel disappointed, frustrated, or angry with your partner. Many couples break up because one or both...

Continue Reading
June 17,2025

What Is the Imago — and Why Does It Matter...

Imago is Latin for “image.” In Imago relationship therapy, the Imago is the unconscious image you carry with you of...

Continue Reading
May 10,2025

Improve Communication with the Couples Dialogue

Do you feel like your partner never really listens to you? Do they complain that you don’t talk to them...

Continue Reading
Copyright @2020 Dana Cole, LMFT