Carla Wills-Brandon

It’s All Right to Have Fun in a Relationship

In the early years, once Michael and I discovered our relationship was in trouble and in need of repair, neither of us knew having fun was a part of the rebuilding process. Couples need to take a break every now and then from the intensity of the healing process, just to learn how to enjoy each other and play...

It’s All Right to Say “No” to Sex

There are times in every relationship when sex takes a backseat. During these “dry” periods we need to respect our mate when told, “No honey, not tonight.” To make our partner feel badly about not giving into sex builds resentments and kills intimacy...

It’s All Right to Talk about Sex

A sexual encounter between two people within a relationship is a two-way street. Both partners are responsible for setting limits and asking for what they need during the encounter. With regard to sex, during individual therapy discussions about difficulty within a relationship, I often hear comments such as, “I really don’t like it when”...

It’s All Right to Say “No” or to Disagreewith Our Family and In-laws

One of the issues couples regularly have disagreements about is extended family. Since we come from a family of origin, periodically problems about extended family are going to pop up in our relationships. Setting limits and boundaries with our family of origin and in-laws...

It’s All Right to Have Separate Territories

When Michael and I first started working on getting our dysfunctional relationship back on track, we opened up separate checking accounts. Neither of us talked to the other when we withdrew money from our joint account. If either of us felt angry about this, we just stuffed it...