The Relationship Place Counseling and Therapy

02/13/2026

𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞’𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬? ❤️

The truth is, a date doesn’t have to be fancy to be romantic. Relationship research shows that closeness isn’t built by the price tag, it’s built by the “𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭” of a shared new experience. When you explore something new together, your brains release dopamine, turning a simple moment into a lasting positive memory.

𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞’𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜, skip the pressure and try one of these connection-building dates:
✨ 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐛𝐨𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 (February is Half-Price Museum Month!) + the remodeled 𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠
✨ 𝐍𝐀𝐓 𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭on Fridays at the 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐦
✨ 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐬 walk or a new coastal trail
✨ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐨:Saturday fish market for 𝐃𝐈𝐘 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐬 + a walk past the 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 ✨ 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐠𝐚 at 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥
✨ A “𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮” night (with popcorn + Hot Tamales—trust me)

The best dates aren’t about getting it “right”, they’re about 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 and letting 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 grow naturally.

📖 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐝? Read our latest blog post. 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐢𝐨!

02/12/2026

The Face Behind the Friendly Voice 📞✨

Meet Pamela, our Client Ambassador and likely the first person you’ll speak with when you reach out to The Relationship Place.
Pamela is so much more than a staff member- she is the heart of our intake process. She understands that the first call is often the hardest, which is why she meets every inquiry with genuine compassion and a mission to find you the perfect therapeutic match.
Whether you’re joining us as an individual or with a partner, Pamela ensures you feel heard and supported from your very first hello. In her own words: “We care a great deal and will not hesitate to take that extra step so that you can feel confident that you are in good hands.”
Now that you know the face of the friendly voice on the other side of the phone, we’d love to help you get started.

Contact us today to find the right therapist for your journey. 🤍 . .

02/11/2026

𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐭.
They start by Googling.
“Is this normal?”
“Is every couple like this?”
“Should we be worried?”
Many relationship challenges are normal.
Some signal stress or transition.
Others point to patterns that need care and attention.
Couples therapy isn’t about labeling something as “bad” or “broken.”
It’s about understanding what’s happening and learning how to respond with more clarity, connection, and compassion.
If these questions feel familiar, you’re not failing.
You’re paying attention.

02/08/2026

02/08/2026

02/07/2026

𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬.
It comes from missed moments.

Let’s talk about emotional bids.
These are small, everyday attempts for connection.
A comment about your day.
A sigh.
A joke.
A glance across the room.

When your partner makes a bid, there are three common responses:
• Turning Toward – engaging, responding, showing interest
• Turning Away – ignoring or missing the moment
• Turning Against – responding with irritation or criticism

Over time, these tiny moments add up.
Couples who regularly turn toward each other build trust, safety, and emotional closeness.
Couples who miss or dismiss bids often feel disconnected without knowing why.

02/04/2026

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
It’s about staying curious.

In the Gottman Method, Love Maps describe how well you know your partner’s inner world.
Their stressors. Their hopes. Their values. Their day-to-day reality.

Strong Love Maps help couples:
• feel more emotionally connected
• navigate conflict with more care
• recover from stress and disconnection faster

And here’s the part many people miss:
Love Maps are living documents.
They need updating as life changes.

If you want to gently reconnect, try asking one or two of these.
Not to fix. Not to solve. Just to know.
• What’s been weighing on you lately?
• What are you most looking forward to right now?
• What’s something you could use more support with?
• What’s been bringing you joy recently?

Curiosity, not interrogation, is the goal.
Connection grows where curiosity lives.

02/03/2026

Female desire isn’t a switch you flip.
It’s a response.

One of the biggest misunderstandings we see in relationships is the belief that desire should be spontaneous, constant, or disconnected from emotional safety.

In reality, many women experience desire when they feel:
• emotionally connected
• respected and understood
• relaxed rather than pressured
• secure in the relationship

When stress, resentment, feeling unseen, or ongoing conflict enter the picture, desire often doesn’t disappear, it goes into self-protection mode.
This isn’t about blame or fault.
It’s about understanding how desire actually works so couples can stop personalizing it and start responding to it differently.

We break this down more fully over on the blog, including what helps desire grow and what quietly shuts it down over time.

👉 Link in bio to read: What Men Don’t Understand About Female Desire

01/28/2026

𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲.

When it comes to consensual non-monogamy (CNM), being “open-minded” isn’t enough.
Working with multiple partners, agreements, and attachment dynamics requires 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 especially when trust feels strained or communication is stuck.

At The Relationship Place, we offer 𝗖𝗡𝗠-𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 that is:
• non-pathologizing
• grounded in evidence-based frameworks
• respectful of your chosen relationship structure

Whether you’re exploring CNM, already practicing it, or working through challenges within it your relationship deserves 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁, not assumptions.

When things feel especially stuck, our 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝘆 / 𝗖𝗡𝗠 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 offer focused, immersive care that can create clarity when weekly sessions aren’t enough.

Led by Dr. Dana McNeil, our work centers respect, curiosity, and collaboration so every partner feels seen and supported.

📍 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗶𝗼

01/27/2026

We’re always grateful for the chance to learn from and connect with incredible clinicians in our community.

Recently, we had the joy of spending time with whose insight, generosity, and passion for this work make her such a bright light in the therapy world.

Our practice feels truly fortunate to have Kelly as both a mentor and a trusted referral source for our clients. Conversations like these remind us how powerful collaboration can be and how much better care becomes when clinicians support one another.

01/24/2026

When partners bond primarily through commiseration (agreeing about how hard things are or focusing on what’s going wrong) it can feel supportive in the moment. But over time, it often reinforces a negative view of the relationship and of each other.

One meaningful shift:
A couple’s friendship foundation is built on three key concepts: building love maps, sharing fondness and admiration, and turning toward bids for connection.

A positive perspective doesn’t mean ignoring problems or excusing hurtful behavior.
It means intentionally looking for your partner’s good intentions, effort, and care; especially when things feel strained.

This shift builds emotional safety, trust, and closeness over time.

We explore this idea more deeply in our newest blog from The Relationship Place.
Link in bio.