Blog — relationship skills

Is The Way You are Listening Damaging Your Relationship?

Think you're listening—but your partner says they don’t feel heard? You might be using “Not Listening Skills” that frustrate your partner and escalate conflict instead of resolving it. This post breaks down common listening mistakes and points you toward an easy resource for upgrading your communication, repairing old hurts, and rebuilding connection.

What is Patience? Best Patience Quotes and Definitions

Patience is both a skill and a quality. It is the ability to wait for things. It isn’t a passive thing. It’s an active thing. It is the balance between the two extremes of impatience and complacency.

Click for definitions of patience and inspiring quotes to help you develop the skill of healthy patience. 

Self-Help and Helper-Help Books by Therapist Ann Silvers

Through decades of working with counseling clients as individuals and couples, I've learned a lot about what helps people build healthier, happier, and more successful lives and relationships.

I've drawn on that experience to create self-help and helper-help books designed for individuals' personal use and as professional resources for teachers, counselors, therapists, and group leaders to assist their work with students and clients.

I'm up to 16 books published!

Topics include anxiety relief, what works and doesn't work in relationships, and emotional intelligence skills, among others.

Here are links for each. Some links are for the site you are currently on, and some are for Amazon. Listing books on Amazon allows each copy to be printed on demand when it is ordered—no matter where in the world you are.

The Amazon links are for Amazon.com (US), but the books are also available from Amazon in other countries, such as amazon.ca, amazon.au, etc.

20 Best Positive Quotes About Change With Images

Change is scary for many people. But change is inevitable. Change happens.

Learning to get comfortable with change makes life a lot easier. It relieves stress and reduces anxiety. Embracing change opens doors of opportunity as it makes you able to choose to change.

Here are some positive quotes about change (and a poem about change that I wrote when I was working on my Counseling Master's Degree) to uplift, inspire, and encourage you.  

Own Your Thoughts and Feelings & Let Others Own Theirs

Owning your thoughts and feelings and letting other people own theirs is a foundational part of healthy communication skills. 

It creates an attitude that makes it easier to present your ideas in a tactful way. And it helps you listen to other people without getting triggered or defensive. 

What does it mean to own thoughts and feelings?

What is Assertive Communication and Behavior?

Assertive behavior and communication often get confused with aggression, but there is a difference between being assertive and being aggressive.