Blog

Notes on Relationships, Family, and Emotional Health

Reflections and practical guidance from Carolyn S. Riviere, LMFT, on the everyday realities of relationships, family life, and mental health.

Relationships

Partnering with a Diagnosis: Navigating Mental Health as a Couple

When you say “I do” or commit to a long-term relationship, you agree to walk alongside your partner through life’s unpredictable terrain. But when a ...
Relationships

The Silent Third Party: How Undiagnosed ADHD Can Unravel a Marriage

In many struggling marriages, there is a ghost in the room. It sits between the couple during every argument about the laundry, every forgotten anniversary, ...
Relationships

Beyond the Mars and Venus Myth: A Therapist’s Guide to Gender, Traits, and Connection

When couples sit on my office couch, they often bring a silent, heavy frustration with them. More often than not, they frame their struggles around ...
Couples & marriage therapy

The Silent Strain in the 30-Something Marriage: Why We Need to Talk About Mother-Son Enmeshment

If you’ve noticed a sudden surge of articles, podcasts, and social media discourse surrounding adult enmeshment, you aren’t alone. My previous blog on this topic ...
Individual Therapy

The Art of Coming Home to Yourself: Navigating the Journey from People-Pleasing to Authenticity

In clinical practice, people-pleasing is often framed as a relational survival strategy rather than simply a personality trait. Many individuals who struggle with chronic accommodating, ...
Relationships

Opposites Attract, But Can They Last? The Science and Soul of the Introvert-Extrovert Match

In the early, intoxicating days of a relationship, we often feel like we’ve found our “missing piece.” If you are a high-energy, fast-talking extrovert, you ...
Couples & marriage therapy

Money, Budgets, and the Family System: How Understanding Your Financial Dynamics Strengthens Connection

Money is one of the most common — and misunderstood — sources of tension in relationships and family systems. Money, Sex and families are the ...
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