“Patriarchy”: Signal or Noise in Couples Therapy?

Pacific Couples Blog

“Patriarchy”: Signal or Noise in Couples Therapy?

John Williams, PhD 6/20/26 John Williams, PhD 6/20/26

“Patriarchy”: Signal or Noise in Couples Therapy?

Decoding a cultural flashpoint in the therapy room.

John Williams, PhD 6/13/26 John Williams, PhD 6/13/26

Therapy Isn't Like Surgery

It's more like a guitar lesson.

Low-Resolution Feelings Are Hard to Navigate

John Williams, PhD 6/13/26 John Williams, PhD 6/13/26

Low-Resolution Feelings Are Hard to Navigate

And worse for our mental and physical health.

John Williams, PhD 6/13/26 John Williams, PhD 6/13/26

The Ambition Penalty

The gender pay gap? It’s complicated.

John Williams, PhD 6/13/26 John Williams, PhD 6/13/26

Is Emotional Openness Attractive?

Women say they want it…but.

John Williams, PhD 5/23/26 John Williams, PhD 5/23/26

Your Parents, My Problem

How to stay connected when family pulls you apart.

John Williams, PhD 5/17/26 John Williams, PhD 5/17/26

Variations in Post-Religious Growth

Variations by religion and culture.

John Williams, PhD 5/16/26 John Williams, PhD 5/16/26

Angry Young Men and Women

I don't think youth radicalization is primarily political.

Why Can't Men Stop Fact-Checking Women's Fear?

John Williams, PhD 5/14/26 John Williams, PhD 5/14/26

Why Can't Men Stop Fact-Checking Women's Fear?

Because they aren't the same facts.

John Williams, PhD 5/8/26 John Williams, PhD 5/8/26

Assessment Before Intervention. Always.

What treatment plan? We've just met them.

The Housework Gap Is Converging, But It May Never Close

John Williams, PhD 4/24/26 John Williams, PhD 4/24/26

The Housework Gap Is Converging, But It May Never Close

The gap persists because of the structural forces shaping it.

There are a lot of scholars in the hell realms.

John Williams, PhD 4/15/26 John Williams, PhD 4/15/26

There are a lot of scholars in the hell realms.

Something one of my Buddhist friends used to say when we got too intellectual.

John Williams, PhD 4/5/26 John Williams, PhD 4/5/26

Anxiety is a bit like assent.

It’s pointless, but we do it anyway.

John Williams, PhD 4/4/26 John Williams, PhD 4/4/26

Can This Relationship Be Saved?

There’s no universal answer, but there are better ways to ask the question.

John Williams, PhD 3/31/26 John Williams, PhD 3/31/26

Is the manosphere gay?

I think it’s about something else

Subtle dynamics that can look like therapist bias.

John Williams, PhD 3/24/26 John Williams, PhD 3/24/26

Subtle dynamics that can look like therapist bias.

Several commenters pushed this idea further.

John Williams, PhD 3/22/26 John Williams, PhD 3/22/26

Meditation Isn’t One State of Mind

A recent study offers one possible explanation.

John Williams, PhD 3/21/26 John Williams, PhD 3/21/26

March Reading Roundup

Emotional narratives, gender myths, and the hidden rules of modern relationships.

My Wife Doesn’t Understand Me (and It's Fine)

John Williams, PhD 3/14/26 John Williams, PhD 3/14/26

My Wife Doesn’t Understand Me (and It's Fine)

Understanding isn’t everything.

John Williams, PhD 3/11/26 John Williams, PhD 3/11/26

Men and Emotions

It’s not a trait, it’s a habit.

Tell us what’s going on. Start with a free phone consultation.