by Eric Walters | May 28, 2026 | Attachment, Communication, Connection, Couples, couples counseling, couples therapy, Couples Therapy Portland, Marriage, Relationships, Shared Meaning
Every so often, I hand the pen to someone who knows this work — and our marriage — from the inside. My husband Eric has spent years studying what makes relationships thrive, and his doctoral research on shared meaning has genuinely shaped the way I think about couples...
by Sabrina Walters | May 4, 2026 | Addiction, Attachment, Celebrations, Communication, Connection, Couples, Recovery, Relationships, Substance Abuse
When a relationship has been shaped by addiction, it’s easy to focus on what went wrong. Because during addiction, there are often so many negative events — things that went sideways, conversations that escalated, moments that left lasting hurt. The fights. The...
by Sabrina Walters | Apr 27, 2026 | Addiction, Communication, Connection, Core Values Counseling, Couples, couples counseling, couples therapy, Couples Therapy Portland, Marriage, Recovery, relationship counseling, Relationships, Substance Abuse
One of the most tender — and often overlooked — parts of recovery is this: You don’t just rebuild sobriety. You rebuild understanding. Because addiction doesn’t just create distance — it replaces knowing with guessing — guessing what your partner...
by Sabrina Walters | Apr 20, 2026 | Addiction, Attachment, Core Values Counseling, Couples, couples therapy, Gottman Method, Recovery, relationship counseling, Relationships, Substance Abuse
For a long time, the “gold standard” in addiction recovery was this: the person struggling with substance use needed to focus only on themselves for at least a year. No couples therapy. No family work. No real attention to the relationship. Just recovery...
by Sabrina Walters | Mar 30, 2026 | Affair Recovery, Attachment, Connection, couples counseling, couples therapy, Couples Therapy Portland, Gottman Method, Marriage, relationship counseling, Relationships
One of the most common questions couples ask after an affair is: Can we ever truly recover from this? The answer is sometimes yes — but the process requires patience, honesty, and a willingness to walk through some very difficult territory together....
by Sabrina Walters | Mar 23, 2026 | Affair Recovery, Attachment, Conflict, Connection, Counseling, Counseling Portland, Couples, couples counseling, couples therapy, Couples Therapy Portland, Gottman Method, Marriage, relationship counseling, Relationships
When couples seek therapy after an affair, they are often hoping for guidance on how to move forward. But what many people don’t realize is that affair recovery is very different from traditional couples therapy. And without the right approach, therapy...
by Sabrina Walters | Mar 19, 2026 | Affair Recovery, Communication, Conflict, Couples, couples counseling, couples therapy, Couples Therapy Portland, Marriage, relationship counseling, Relationships
Few experiences shake a relationship as deeply as discovering that your partner has been involved in an affair. For the hurt partner, the moment of discovery often feels like an emotional earthquake. Whether the truth comes from a third party, a message on a...
by Sabrina Walters | Mar 11, 2026 | Anxiety, Co-Regulation, Emotional Regulation, Health, Mental Health, Self-Care, Stress
Self-care has gotten a lot of mixed messaging over the years. Some people hear the phrase and think bubble baths and indulgence. Others hear it and immediately feel behind, guilty, or overwhelmed by one more thing they’re supposed to be doing. But at its...
by Sabrina Walters | Feb 27, 2026 | Co-Regulation, Connection, Emotional Regulation, Emotions, Family, Parenting, Stress, Youth
Children are emotional mirrors. They don’t just listen to what we say — they absorb what we embody. If you’ve ever noticed your child becoming more dysregulated when you’re overwhelmed, or settling more quickly when you stay grounded, you’ve witnessed emotional...
by Sabrina Walters | Feb 25, 2026 | Attachment, Co-Regulation, Connection, Emotional Regulation, Emotions, Family, Parenting, Relationships, Youth
When the world feels heavy, real connection isn’t just comforting — it’s regulatory. That hug from your partner. The hand on your shoulder. The friend who simply sits with you in silence. These aren’t small gestures. They are biological tools that help your...
by Sabrina Walters | Feb 18, 2026 | Anxiety, Connection, Emotional Regulation, Mental Health, Stress
We’ve talked about stress a lot lately — like, a lot. But what if understanding why stress feels so hard could actually help you manage it better? Stress isn’t just a feeling — it’s a biological response. When you’re overwhelmed by work deadlines, family...
by Sabrina Walters | Feb 6, 2026 | Art and Science of Love, Attachment, Communication, Connection, Core Values, Couples, Holidays, Marriage, Relationships, Romance
Valentine’s Day has a way of turning love inward. Are my needs being met? Do I feel chosen? Am I enough? Those questions are understandable — but when they take over, we can lose sight of something important: love is also about shared meaning. About what...
by Sabrina Walters | Feb 5, 2026 | Art and Science of Love, Communication, Connection, Couples, Holidays, Marriage, Relationships
Valentine’s Day comes with a lot of expectations. Somehow, we’ve absorbed the idea that our partner should just know what we want. That they should orchestrate the perfect, ultra-romantic day filled with meaningful gestures and heartfelt surprises. And when...
by Sabrina Walters | Jan 29, 2026 | Emotions, Grief, Holidays, Self-Care, Self-Love, Therapy Portland, Transitions
January arrives with a lot of noise. New goals. New routines. New versions of ourselves we’re apparently supposed to roll out immediately — energized, disciplined, focused, and ready to conquer the year. And yet, for so many people, January doesn’t feel...
by Sabrina Walters | Jan 16, 2026 | Communication, Conflict, Connection, Couples, couples counseling, couples therapy, Couples Therapy Portland, Emotions, Family, Marriage, relationship counseling, Relationships
Conflict rarely unravels all at once. More often, it happens in the moment our bodies move into overwhelm before our words can catch up. In my last post, we explored how intense reactions often come from protective parts of us — parts that step in quickly when...
by Sabrina Walters | Jan 14, 2026 | Anxiety, Communication, Conflict, Connection, Couples, couples counseling, couples therapy, Couples Therapy Portland, Emotional Regulation, Emotions, Marriage, relationship counseling, Relationships
Most couples come to therapy wanting the same thing: to feel understood, safe, and connected — especially in moments of conflict. And yet, when emotions run high, we often find ourselves reacting in ways that don’t reflect who we truly want to be. If you’ve...
by Sabrina Walters | Dec 19, 2025 | Attachment, Communication, Connection, Family, Fun, Holidays, Parenting, Play Therapy, Youth
The holiday season has a way of amplifying everything — joy, connection, stress, and exhaustion. While many families look forward to time together, the shift in routines, heightened expectations, and emotional intensity can also bring unexpected challenges, especially...
by Sabrina Walters | Dec 19, 2025 | Celebrations, Connection, Family, Holidays
For many people, Christmas slowly turns into a machine. The lists grow longer. The expectations get louder. The pressure to make everything magical — for kids, partners, parents, extended family — starts weeks before December even arrives. Somewhere along the...
by Sabrina Walters | Dec 18, 2025 | Community, Connection, Couples, Gottman Method, Marriage, Relationships
As we wrap up this four-part series inspired by the work of Cameron Madill, it’s time to look beyond just the two of you and explore another critical factor in relationship health: community. If you’ve been following along, you know that we’ve already talked about why...
by Sabrina Walters | Dec 11, 2025 | Communication, Connection, Core Values Couples, Couples, couples counseling, couples therapy, Couples Therapy Portland, Fun, Gottman Method, Marriage, relationship counseling, Relationships
If you’ve been following along in this four-part series, you know we’ve been exploring what makes relationships thrive — not by accident, but through intention, connection, and shared joy. In the first installment, we looked at how couples can stop “drifting” and...
