Relationship Skills

Exclusive

Podcasts

• Addressing Relationship Energy Drainers

  This lesson will teach you to recognize immediately when your energy is being drained and what you can do about it.

• Am I Ready to be a Couple?

  In this program learn the difference between being ready to find a life partner and being ready to be a couple.

• Dealing With Our Baggage

  Learn how your past can help you determine today’s vision, purpose, needs, and wants for your relationship.

• Emotional Mastery: The Secret to Incredible Relating

  This audio file explains how to become the master of your emotions and how emotional mastery enhances relationships.

Articles

• Communication/Conflict

  • A Game Plan for Effective Communication

    Learn effective communication skills that help couples navigate through difficult topics.

  • Avoiding Communication Fouls

    Learn how communication fouls become about winning an argument instead of finding a mutually favorable resolution.

  • Communicating with the Opposite Sex

    The opposite gender speaks an alien tongue. Or so it would seem.

  • Cracking the Male Code of Silence

    Breaking through male reserve to communicate more effectively as a couple.

  • Fighting in a Way That's Fair

    All relationships encounter disagreements. It’s how those disagreements are handled that is the key to the health of the relationship.

  • Getting Closure After a Breakup

    The end of a relationship can leave nagging, unanswered questions. Tips for getting closure and moving on after a breakup.

  • Guarding your heart? It’s really a matter of trust

    It can be difficult to trust someone in a new relationship after being hurt but the risk can be worth it.

  • Listening is Not a Spectator Sport - Rules for Active Listening

    Learn how listening, though a silent act, is still an active part of communication.

  • Saying You're Sorry

    Saying you're sorry can be difficult at times, TwoOfUs.org lets you know how to make it easier.

  • Silence is Not Golden

    The rule "silence is golden" doesn't apply when referring to your relationship. How to cope with the silent treatment.

  Dating Tips & Etiquette

  • PDA: How Much is Too Much?

    Public displays of affection can be a good way to let your significant other feel loved, but when is it too much?

  Engagement and Preparing for Marriage

  • How to Combine Your Lives Without Losing Your Identity

    Two of the greatest benefits of a healthy relationship are sharing your interests with someone and learning new things.

  Finding The One

  • 10 Signs He or She is a ‘Keeper’

    Relationships can send you spiraling head-over-heels. But is the person you are dating worth the risk of falling in love?

  • Am I Settling … Or Just Being Realistic?

    How do you know if your dating standards are unrealistic?

  • Can You Really Change a Person?

    Many of us want our partners to be perfect; it's the stuff that dreams are made of.

  • Demolish the Fantasy. Build the Dream.

    Having some concept of what you are looking for in a partner is a good thing—it allows you to focus on relationships with the greatest potential. But what if your wish-list is not realistic, or worse, is made up of attributes that are incompatible with your ultimate relationship goals?

  • Relationship Dealbreakers

    Weeding out less desirable dating candidates often involves a wish list. But for some people, that list goes on and on. Here are the real relationship dealbreakers….

  Healthy Relationship Skills

  • 10 Relationship ‘Red Flags’

    Ten signs that your relationship may be in trouble.

  • 50 Quick Connects for Couples

    Small emotional connections between partners can add up to big time relationship satisfaction.

  • A Young Couple’s Guide to Growing Old Together

    A guide to building a love that lasts.

  • Are 50/50 Relationships Bad Math?

    The modern ideal for a romantic relationship is one in which each partner contributes equally—50/50. It seems like a reasonable configuration, but can be surprisingly difficult to calculate.

  • Are You Drawn to the Wrong Type of Partner?

    If you are attracted to the wrong type of mate it can be a hard habit to break, TwoOfUs.org explores this issue.

  • Are You Oversharing About Your Partner?

    Talking too much about your relationship with others can put your relationship at risk.

  • Bad Boys, Vampires and Anti-Heroes: The New Prince Charming?

    Forget Prince Charming. Based on what Hollywood is cranking out these days, women seem more eager these days to be swept off their feet by a creature of the night.

  • Beating Relationship Boredom

    Tips to help you and your significant other beat the boredom that sometimes sets in with relationships.

  • Can Simply Being Positive Improve Your Relationship?

    Simply being positive can dramatically improve your relationship.

  • Don’t Blame Twitter—How TMI Can Kill Any Relationship

    Oversharing online can have a devastating impact your relationships. Here are some old relationship rules, revamped for new media.

  • How Emotional Intelligence Affects Your Relationships

    If you are looking to improve your relationship, assessing your emotional intelligence could help.

  • How Insecurities Can Harm Your Relationship

    Identify the insecurities that may be harming your relationship and what steps you can take to overcome them.

  • Jealousy: Taming the green-eyed monster

    A little jealousy is normal. But chronic jealousy—especially when expressed to your partner—can threaten your relationship.

  • Losing Your Emotional Baggage

    Emotional baggage can be difficult to leave behind. Here are tips to help you leave the past behind.

  • Love Rules

    Here is what relationships experts think about the tried, but not always true, love sayings.

  • Managing Expectations, Minimizing Disappointment

    Learn how to manage your expectations and maximize the positive in your relationship.

  • Must the Truth Hurt? Honesty and Relationships

    Everyone says the truth hurts but does it really have to?

  • Personal Boundaries and Healthy Relationships

    Learn how to set and maintain strong personal boundaries and how they can help strengthen your relationships.

  • Personal Boundaries in a Relationship

    Good fences make good neighbors. Good boundaries make good relationships.

  • Qualities of a Healthy Relationship

    Learn to recognize the qualities of a healthy relationship.

  • Spring Clean Your Love Life

    It’s spring and it’s the perfect time to review the state of your relationship. Does your relationship feel healthy and hopeful?

  • The Art of Compromise

    Being uncompromising on ethical matters makes you a strong person. Being uncompromising in an intimate relationship, however, is often less noble.

  • Understanding the Emotional Needs of Your Female Partner

    Learning what your female partner values most is essential to making the relationship work.

  • Understanding Your Man’s Emotional Needs

    Tips for providing your male partner the emotional support he needs.

  • What Respect Really Means in a Relationship

    How do you establish respect, especially in a relationship where it has been lacking?

  • When to Say ‘I Love You’

    When is the proper time in a relationship to say "I love you" for the first time?

  • Why Forgiveness is Good … for You

    Too often, we see forgiveness solely as an (undeserved) kindness we extend to an oppressor. But forgiveness is also a gift we give ourselves—a gift that provides considerable physical and psychological benefits to the giver.

  • Your Relationship: Healthy or Unhealthy?

    When you think about your current relationship, how do you feel? Do you remember good times together and dream about your future?

  Relationship Stages and Commitment

  • Now That We’re Exclusive … What Do We Do?

    Deciding to be in an exclusive, committed relationship is a big step forward for any couple, but just because the first round of the dating obstacle course has been successfully navigated doesn’t mean it's time to take it easy.

  • Pacing Your Relationship

    Some people blaze through a relationship, missing important milestones and warning signs. Others plod along, dragging their feet…

  • The DTR (Defining the Relationship)

    Consider these tips when thinking about having the conversation that ideally establishes what your relationship is.

  Sex & Intimacy

  • The Affection Connection

    TwoOfUs.org explores a new study which tackles the stereotype "Men want sex. Women just want to cuddle."

  Top 10 Lists

  • Top 10 Most Recommended Dramas About Marriage and Family

    This list outlines the top 10 most recommended dramas about marriage and family.

  • Top 10 Wedding Movies

    This list outlines the top 10 wedding movies.

Videos

• Do opposites attract? And should they? Part 1

  Dr. Van Epp explores whether opposites really do attract ... and if so, if it is a good thing.

• Do opposites attract? And should they? Part 2

  Dr. Sue Johnson explores whether opposites really do attract ... and if so, if it is a good thing.

• How can a mentor couple help us strengthen our relationship? Part 2

  Dr. Ed Gray discusses the benefits of having a mentor couple to help you in your relationship.

• How can I tell if my partner is really committed to me?

  In this video, Dr. Scott Stanley talks about how you can tell if your partner is really committed to you.

• How can I tell if my relationship will last?

  Dr. Sue Johnson talks about how you can tell if your relationship will stand the test of time.

• How can we avoid infidelity in our relationship?

  In this video, Dr. Barry McCarthy talks about how to avoid temptations within our relationships.

• How do I know when it's time to commit?

  In this video, relationship expert Erik Vecere responds to the question, "How do I know when it's time to commit?"

• How do I tell my partner I want to work on improving our relationship?

  In this video, relationship expert Nisa Muhammad responds to the question, "How do I tell my partner I want to work on improving our relationship?".

• How do I tell my partner I want to work on repairing our relationship?

  How do I tell my partner I want to work on repairing our relationship?

• How to argue correctly

  This video highlights some techniques that couples can utilize to communicate and argue more effectively.

Other Resources

• Could You Be Sabotaging Your Own Relationship?

  When times get rough, it is certainly easier to focus on what your partner is doing that is creating difficulty for both of you. But it takes two to tango...