Carolyn Riviere

When a client walks into my office and shares that their relationship is falling apart, they often point to standard culprits: money, communication, or a general “growing apart.” But as a therapist, I frequently find myself looking for the invisible third partner in the room—a mental health condition. Whether it is anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, […]

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 mental health diagnosis enters the picture—whether it is generalized anxiety disorder, ADHD, bipolar disorder, major depression, or OCD—it rarely affects just one person. A mental health condition becomes an uninvited

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, and every “simple” conversation that spirals into a blowout. That ghost is often undiagnosed ADHD. As a therapist, I have seen couples on the brink of divorce who believe they have

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 a classic cultural narrative: “He’s a man, so he just shuts down,” or “She’s a woman, so she gets too emotional.” For decades, popular psychology told us that heterosexual men and women are

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 might be mesmerized by the quiet, grounded presence of an introvert. If you are a reserved, reflective soul, you might be invigorated by someone who breathes life into every room