Rietveld & Associates Counseling

Blog Posts

  • Relationships Live and Die With Communication

    In 2013, my wife and I visited some of my extended family in the Netherlands and brought back souvenirs for all of our family members here. For my sisters-in-law, we brought back tiny wooden shoe magnets like the one shown above. While I was at work one day, my mother-in-law was visiting my wife at…

  • I must decline, for secret reasons.

    E.B. White sent the above as a response to joining President Eisenhower’s Committee of the Arts and Sciences. When you establish a boundary, you don’t owe anyone an explanation. The boundary is for your health and safety; saying “no” to a request isn’t mean in and of itself. It’s okay to say “no” when you…

  • Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

    The status quo is comfortable, and change is uncomfortable. Old patterns of behavior are like well-worn ruts on a dirt road. While driving we fall into them automatically without thinking because they’re the path of least resistance. At the same time however, the status quo can be painful. Maybe you (or someone else in your…