Today I’m interviewing Ivonne Hammoud, mother of 2 and owner of New Moon Counselling. Ivonne is a Registered Social Worker and holds a Masters of Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University; and specializes in anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship conflicts, and life changes/stressors. She has definitely seen an increase in couples coming to see her throughout the pandemic and she has some great insight into what’s happening in marriages, why it’s happening and what couples can do about it.

In this episode we talk about:

• How the pandemic has been really hard on some marriages but strengthened others

• The two major relationship struggles she is seeing in her practice right now

• Why it’s so important to work on YOURSELF in order to improve your relationship

• The benefits of working with a therapist when you’re having relationship struggles

• Why conflict is NOT a negative thing (and how it can actually help your relationship)

• The one thing that couples can do to help their marriage during the next few months

I also share my own story of where my marriage has struggled during the pandemic and our experience with couples therapy in the past and how it’s helped in our communication as a couple.

My goal with this episode is to help normalize therapy and just talking about this subject in general, so people know that these are tough times…and that it’s totally normal to feel like your relationship is a little stagnant right now. And to provide some strategies to help relight that fire.