Author: Dr. Samantha Rodman

Clinical Psychologist

Does Your Partner Resent You?

Author By Dr. Samantha Rodman, Clinical Psychologist
Posted:
woman sitting with her legs crossed looking towards partner

When you’re feeling disconnected and distant from your partner, there can be many reasons. Perhaps you two have grown apart, or there are trust issues undermining your prior closeness. However, one significant contributor to a couple growing about can often be overlooked if it isn’t discussed openly. Resentment — that corrosive feeling of imbalance and disgruntlement at past behavior partners carry around — can be the underlying cause of relationship issues. There are ways to figure out, however, if this is what is sabotaging your relationship. Continue reading Does Your Partner Resent You?

Why It Doesn’t Always Feel Like You’re Making Progress in Therapy

Author By Dr. Samantha Rodman, Clinical Psychologist
Posted:
kids climbing up rock wall making progress

Therapy is a long and winding road. There are peaks, feeling mentally strong and achieving your goals, and valleys where you don’t feel like you’re making as much progress as you’d like. Sometimes, as clients progress along this road, they take two steps forward and one step back, and at other times they may even feel like they are taking two steps forward and three steps back.

Don’t get discouraged, it’s likely that you’re making more progress than you think. Here are 5 reasons why you may feel like you’re not achieving much in therapy even though you actually are. Continue reading Why It Doesn’t Always Feel Like You’re Making Progress in Therapy

5 Signs You Need to Handle Stress Differently

Author By Dr. Samantha Rodman, Clinical Psychologist
Posted:
woman with head against window with arms stretched behind her

Stress is an overarching theme in most of our lives. Though we’re all busy, everyone finds time to talk about being stressed, unable to meet the competing demands of work and family, not to mention friends, hobbies, and self-care.

This is a difficult way to live — and whether or not our culture requires such stressful excess — maintaining a breakneck pace can sabotage your ability to enjoy your day-to-day existence. Everyone handles stress differently, but some people are less able to adapt to it than others.

Continue reading 5 Signs You Need to Handle Stress Differently

4 Reasons Your Friends Might Not Approve of Your Partner

Author By Dr. Samantha Rodman, Clinical Psychologist
Posted:
Friends hanging out

When you’re newly in love, you want to share the news with everyone. Your hope is that your friends will find your partner as amazing as you do, and that the two of you, as a couple, will have close ties with the friends that you love. For some lucky people, things work out this way. Their friends approve of their partners right from the get-go, and build closer connections over time. Sometimes, your partner even makes closer connections with some of your friends than you yourself have! Continue reading 4 Reasons Your Friends Might Not Approve of Your Partner

5 Reminders to Keep You Grounded During Dating Anxiety

Author By Dr. Samantha Rodman, Clinical Psychologist
Posted:
Woman Jumping with Umbrella

Dating anxiety affects most single people to some degree. Here are some common anxious questions that run through people’s minds during the dating process. See how many apply to you:

  • Will others find me attractive enough?
  • Will I be interesting/funny on this date?
  • Will I ever find someone I really love?
  • Is the person I’m dating the right one for me?
  • If I end this relationship, will I find someone else?

This anxiety can sabotage your ability to connect confidently and authentically with other people. Here’s how to stay grounded and actually enjoy the dating process. Continue reading 5 Reminders to Keep You Grounded During Dating Anxiety

Is the Idea of a Soulmate Bad for Your Relationship and Mental Health?

Author By Dr. Samantha Rodman, Clinical Psychologist
Posted:
Couple riding bikes at sunset

When you’re in a new relationship, your hormones are racing and the newness of your love can be intoxicating. It can be tempting to feel like you have met your “soulmate,” the one person who is made for you and only you.

Even though this idea is very appealing and romantic, there are also down sides to thinking this way. The soul mate paradigm can raise your expectations to an impossible level, ironically making you feel less satisfied with your partner overall. Continue reading Is the Idea of a Soulmate Bad for Your Relationship and Mental Health?

7 Ways Fear Makes You Settle for Less in Your Relationship

Author By Dr. Samantha Rodman, Clinical Psychologist
Posted:
Concerned woman

Many clients come in to therapy telling me that they don’t feel happy or fulfilled in their relationship. Instead of being excited to be with their partner, they feel stuck, bored, and trapped. When we discuss the idea of leaving, though, many of these clients feel anxious or outright terrified at the prospect.

Why do people settle for less in relationships? Why do they end up stuck in loveless or conflicted relationships, feeling like there’s no way out? And how can you know if you’re settling for less in your own relationship? Continue reading 7 Ways Fear Makes You Settle for Less in Your Relationship