In my work with couples, I notice that while partners sometimes seek premarital counseling because they’re having difficulties, they just as often come because they want to build a solid foundation as they move into the next chapter of their lives.

I recently had the privilege of joining Kristie Plantinga and Felicia Keller Boyle on the Best Therapists podcast, What Your Therapist Thinks, for a conversation about one of the most corrosive forces in intimate relationships—contempt.

In couples therapy, one of the most powerful skills partners can develop is the ability to observe, label, and express emotions clearly.