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.
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 ...
Parenting
From an LMFT in Private Practice — On Transitioning to the “Adult Parent”: Love vs. Valued Contribution
As an LMFT working with families across developmental stages, I regularly meet parents who feel both loved and sidelined by their adult children. That painful ...
Couples & marriage therapy
NEW Marriage after an affair: If you can do the work!
I have had conducted, hundreds of hours of repair and rebuilding a marriage/partnership after an emotional breach and or an affair. Ultimately, communication is essential ...
Sex & Intimacy
Desire, Healing, and the Longings of the Human Heart: A Therapist’s Reflection on Jay Stringer’s DESIRE
As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice—and as a sex and trauma therapist—I have spent years sitting with individuals and couples who ...
Couples & marriage therapy
Understanding Affairs and Infidelities: A Deeper Look into Relationships
Affairs and infidelities are often viewed solely through the lens of betrayal and heartbreak. When a partner strays, whether physically or emotionally, the focus tends ...
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January 2025
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