Conflict Plan for Newlyweds & Couples
Every married couple is going to encounter many types of conflict over the course of a lifetime together. Despite this fact and the fact that the divorce rate is over 50%, very few couples spend any amount of time or resources to plan for how they are going to navigate it. Worse yet, they often experience surprise and shame when it does happen, feeling it is an indication they weren’t destined to be together.
We have mediated hundreds of divorce cases and are convinced that by taking time at the beginning of a marriage to understand each other’s approach to conflict, learn conflict skills, and make a plan of how they are going to address difficult conversations, couples can prevent inevitable conflict from escalating and damaging their relationship.
Instead, they can leverage conflict to strengthen their understanding of each other, making it easier to navigate the challenges every married couple faces. We will work with the couple over the course of several sessions to 1) understand each others approach to conflict and where it comes from, 2) create a “conflict plan” based on their unique histories, values, and goals for their life together, and 3) develop strong conflict skills based on struggling “with” not “against” each other.