A Good Apology Is Hard to Find
Andrea Brandt 2018-02-14T15:05:29+00:00Apologies have been in the news a lot lately — both genuine apologies and refusals to apologize. Every day, women and men come forward to name those [...]
Dealing with Passive-Aggressives Without Losing Your Mind
Andrea Brandt 2018-02-14T15:02:42+00:00Most of us have at least one passive-aggressive person in our life. Maybe it’s a mother who nitpicks and criticizes everything we do, or a co-worker who [...]
10 Things Not to Do On a First Date (and Why They Turn Us Off)
Andrea Brandt 2017-08-09T12:08:37+00:0010 Things Not to Do On a First Date We go into the first date experience full of fear and excitement. Excited that maybe this [...]
Is it Possible to Fine-Tune Your Intuition?
Andrea Brandt 2017-05-17T14:00:51+00:00Is it possible to fine-tune your intuition? Absolutely. Have you ever been on a date and thought "I have a funny feeling about this person"? [...]
How to Stop Passive Aggression from Ruining Your Relationship
Andrea Brandt 2017-04-19T11:56:59+00:00ruining your relationship Learning to express anger in a healthy way will help couples resolve conflicts, instead of letting them simmer. Every Saturday night, Bill [...]
Harmful Behavior Inventory
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:16+00:00I read once about a sign Oprah Winfrey posts in her office: "Please take responsibility for the energy you bring into this space." I think it would [...]
Got Marriage Problems? Blame Hollywood
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:16+00:00Growing up most of us had two models for what adult romantic relationships should look like. One, we had our parents or caregivers––which for many of us [...]
How Do You Forgive Even When It Feels Impossible?
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:18+00:00Someone hurts us in a way that feels irreparable and we say, "I will never forgive you." Someone wounds us emotionally or physically and we think, "That's [...]
6 Steps to Bring Out the Best in Each Other
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:19+00:00It is often said that in the best relationships, partners bring out the best in each other. Sometimes in the midst of the stresses and ups and [...]
The Revenge Myth
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:19+00:00Revenge is appealing. Someone hurts us and we're convinced that revenge will make us feel whole again. Just thinking about revenge can trigger positive emotions so going [...]
4 Tips to Help You Survive the Holidays
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:19+00:00Between Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's, many of us spend more time with our families in the final five weeks of the year than we will [...]
6 Signs Your Date is Secretly Passive-Aggressive
Andrea Brandt 2017-09-19T11:27:59+00:00Secretly Passive-Aggressive A relationship with a passive-aggressive person is exhausting. You’re never sure if “I’m not mad” really means “I’m mad,” or if their “I’m [...]
What to Do When Your Emotions Overwhelm You
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:19+00:00Trying to control your emotions doesn't work because it can't work. When you go out in the world and interact with people, turn on the radio or [...]
The Five Fighting Words you Need to Drop from your Relationship
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:19+00:00I believe that arguing is part of every healthy relationship. You and your partner won't agree one-hundred-percent of the time and sometimes one or both of you [...]
3 Ways to Stop Having the Same Fight Over & Over
Andrea Brandt 2017-09-18T11:02:35+00:00Can't figure out why you keep having the same arguments? Read on ... September will always be back-to-school season in my mind––the sadness of summer ending, the [...]
Emotional Honesty: How to Tell if It’s Missing from Your Relationship
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:20+00:00Few of us grew up in an emotionally safe environment, a place where we could be truthful about our feelings. Instead, we inherited faulty beliefs about our [...]
How Your Beliefs About Yourself Limit Your Potential
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:20+00:00Right now, you are talking to yourself. All day, every day, you talk to yourself about the world around you––narrating, interpreting, judging. More importantly, you talk to [...]
3 Signs You Have an Unhealthy Attachment to Your Partner
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:20+00:00You enjoy your partner's company, share his concerns, and feel connected to her even when you're separate. These are signs you are attached to your partner. The [...]
Love and the Passive-Aggressive Personality
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:20+00:00How you and your partner handle anger and conflict plays a key role in the success of your relationship—a rewarding connection is incompatible with suppressed feelings and restricted [...]
The 7 Principles of Assertive Communication
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:20+00:00After a harsh winter, we're grateful to pack away our coats and gloves and do a little spring-cleaning. While you're sweeping and tidying your home, give some [...]
A Priceless Valentine’s Day Gift Idea: Letter of Gratitude
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:22+00:00"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." –Thornton Wilder After the box of chocolates has [...]
Why Are Boundaries Necessary for Relationships?
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:22+00:00You've probably heard the term "healthy boundaries" before. It's a concept that pops up frequently when people talk about successful relationships. If you often find yourself nodding [...]
6 Ways to Meet Your Partner’s Needs
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:22+00:00Have you ever struggled maintaining a good relationship with your partner? And to meet your partner's needs? I know I have, I somehow always seem to mess [...]
The 10 Secret Steps to a Happier Family This Holiday Season
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:22+00:00The holiday season and dysfunctional family dynamics go together like turkey and cranberry sauce or a stocking full of presents and an empty wallet. You get in [...]
Is Your Reaction to Conflict Destroying Your Relationship?
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:22+00:00Ask yourself, when in conflict: Does your pulse race and your heart pound? Do you talk over the other person? Do you turn trivial things into causes [...]
How To Make Fights Work FOR Your Relationship (Not Against It)
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:23+00:00Unhealthy responses to anger can form an infinite loop: small disagreements erupt into full-blown fights and fights end with slammed doors and hurt feelings. This may be hard [...]
5 Tips for Communicating Assertively without Being Passive-Aggressive By Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S.
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:23+00:00All of us are passive-aggressive. That is, we use a mild form of passive-aggressiveness: “saying yes when we mean no,” according to psychotherapist Andrea Brandt, Ph.D, M.F.T. [...]
Hard for You to say “I’m Sorry?”
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:23+00:00Finds’ friend, Andrea Brandt, PhD. recently started blogging for Psychology Today. I love her first post on how it can be Hard for You to say "I'm [...]
The Art of Apology
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:24+00:00When someone’s actions cause us emotional pain or disappointment, why do we feel the need to receive an apology? The Art of the Apology! When an offense [...]
Are Platonic Friendships Ruining Your Marriage?
Andrea Brandt 2017-02-07T15:17:25+00:00happy couple outdoor They enrich our lives and make partners jealous. How to navigate the murky waters. By Linda Bernstein From my teen years [...]