Resources

A Story of Healing, Humility, and Unbreakable Love in Coeur d’Alene Six years into their marriage, Caleb and Emma sat in their driveway in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, engine off, neither of them moving. It had just snowed and made that kind of North Idaho snowfall we all love that makes everything look peaceful – rooftops…

– Matthew W. Rowe, Ph.D., CPC, BCMMHC. When my wife and I got married, we became “one flesh.” What no one explained was whether that meant one checking account too. Few topics spark intense debates among married couples like money. Should everything go into one big holy pot of unity? Or should each spouse maintain…

Financial planning in marriage is important for fair spending, long-term goals, managing debts, and emergencies. However, according to a survey by Empower done back in 2023, only 54% of people discuss finances with their spouse, while the remaining 46% never even bother talking about it.  When finances aren’t discussed, and the earnings of each spouse…

Hard talks like breakups, boundaries, or disagreements are always difficult. They become even harder with someone closer, like your spouse. Your life partners may misunderstand you and get hurt. Avoiding these talks isn’t the solution, as grudges can build up and strain the relationship. This leads us to a question: how to have hard conversations…

Unhealed childhood trauma in marriage can lead to depression, anxiety, anxious attachments, and avoidant attachments while also lowering the quality of adult relationships. It can take away the beauty of your marriage and make ordinary situations feel offensive or hurtful, even when those situations are only imagined or have not happened yet. You start to…

What the couples do every day and their habits, determine if they’re going to stay in the relationship forever. By thoughtfully adopting positive daily habits and letting go of negative ones to meet each other’s needs, the marriage can last decades. Let’s learn now about the 5 daily habits of couples who stay in love…

-Matthew Rowe, Ph.D., CPC, BCMHC  Somewhere between untangling Christmas lights that absolutely were not tangled last year and  stepping on a Lego in the dark at 2:00 a.m., it hits us again… Christmas is here. With Christmas  comes the familiar mix of joy, chaos, sugar cookies, missing pieces, loud laughter, awkward  silences, and that one…

Matthew Rowe, Ph.D., CPC, BCMHC. Question from a LF3 Follower: “How do you heal a marriage when attempts at communication are met with defensiveness,  raised voices, and unresolved conflict—especially when your spouse won’t seek help and you’re  emotionally exhausted but still deeply in love?”  I Love My Husband, But I Can’t Keep Living Like This! …

– Jacob & Christie’s Love Factor Story From the outside, our life looked full and functional. We lived on Spokane’s South Hill, had two  beautiful kids (Hunter, our energetic 8-year-old who loves building anything with wheels, and  Megan, our sweet 5-year-old who never met a doll she didn’t immediately nurture). We went to  church. We…

Most of the couples with GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) can’t perform normal activities with their spouses, such as open communication, intimacy, enjoying time together, or even discussing issues properly.  Marriage and anxiety can’t go hand in hand and may lead to communication breakdowns, arguments, disputes, distance, and even a lack of intimacy over time, which…