Bridge to Wholeness | Volume 2 Issue 2 February 2015

Welcome to the February 2015 Issue of the Agape newsletter, Bridge to Wholeness! Our monthly newsletter is the best way for you to keep up with what is going on around Agape, with events and updates, and articles written by our counselors. We hope it will help bring you a little bit closer to emotional, mental, and spiritual wholeness! In this issue (click to read individual articles): How to Build Trust In Relationships by Darrell Provinse, MA, LPC, NCC The Best Valentine’s Gift: Another Chance by Cathy Downen, MA, MA, PLPC 10 Unhelpful Marital & Relationship Thought Patterns by Kathyrn Manley, MS, LPC, CST Unraveling the Enigma of the Autism…

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Ten Unhelpful Marital and Relationship Thought Patterns

It’s natural to interpret what is happening around us. As humans, we are continually interpreting our past, our present and our future as well as our relationships with others, our relationship with ourselves and our relationship with God. Many times the interpretation of circumstances in our lives is accurate, but sometimes it can be distorted due to fears of rejection, abandonment, failure, need for control, approval or perfectionism. The way we feel, therefore, can interfere with how we think. Below is a list of some ways couples might struggle with distorted thoughts and communication patterns in their relationship. Ten Unhelpful Marital and Relationship Thought Patterns: Filtering. We magnify the negative…

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The Best Valentine’s Day Gift: Another Chance

By Cathy Downen, MA, MA, PLPC Love is a many splendored thing when you’re first dating Mr. or Miss Right, and Valentine’s Day seems to have been invented just for the two of you to celebrate your very special love. But after a few years of marriage (a few hours in some cases), when Miss Right has turned into “Mrs. Always Right” and Mr. Right has deteriorated into “Mr. Can’t Get it Right” (or vice versa), Valentine’s Day may seem like a trumped-up tradition of forced, and often expensive, displays of affection custom-made for commercialism, hyped-up expectations, and often disappointment. The gift industry would have us believe that flowers, candy…

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New Beginnings: Rebuilding and Repairing Relationships

Couples frequently come to my office with relational injuries, wondering if their marriage can be repaired. Individuals and couples may feel there has been such damage and destruction in the relationship that any hope of making amends, repairing the damage, is hopeless. Restoration and redemption in relationships is available through Christ. As we enter this new year, I am led to encourage Agape readers that in Christ, all things are possible. If you are having trouble communicating with your partner, especially during the process of healing, you may find that learning new patterns of communication can be difficult. According to psychologist and researcher John Gottman, repairing relationships during and after…

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