{"id":10104,"date":"2024-07-25T09:00:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-25T09:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=10104"},"modified":"2024-07-25T09:22:54","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T09:22:54","slug":"couples-counselors-advice-on-communication-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=10104","title":{"rendered":"Couples Counselors\u2019 Advice on Communication Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cI statements\u201d can help reduce conflict and defensiveness \u2014 even if you feel silly while using them.<\/p>\n

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Imagine telling your partner a story.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re just getting to the good part \u2014 the crazy thing your boss said, or the irresistible face the dog made \u2014 when you realize he is staring at his phone<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Your first instinct might be to pout or get indignant. Or you might try a more therapized<\/a> tack.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel frustrated,\u201d this enlightened version of you would say, \u201cwhen you look at your phone while I\u2019m talking to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Congratulations! You have successfully deployed an \u201cI statement\u201d \u2014 a communication tool beloved by many couples counselors, who recommend it to clients to help curb defensiveness, have more fruitful discussions and, yes, fight better<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Therapists know the advice is a bit \u2026 cringe. Jessica Grogan, a licensed marriage and family therapist based in Austin, said that when she talks to her clients about the merits of \u201cI statements,\u201d she braces for eye rolls.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI know<\/em> this is a therapist clich\u00e9,\u201d she said with a laugh. But if you believe, as Dr. Grogan does, that relationships are ongoing negotiations, then \u201cthe best way to do that is with \u2018I statements,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how they work.<\/p>\n