• Home
  • Common Issues
    • Mood
      • Depression
      • Anxiety
      • Panic
      • Social Anxiety
    • Relationships
      • Couples Counseling
      • Physical Intimacy Issues
      • Finding the Right Relationship
      • Family Issues
    • Coaching
      • Career
      • Life Coaching
      • Weight Management & Fitness Coaching
    • Other
      • Medicare and Senior Issues
      • Child and Adolescent
      • Christian Counseling
      • Chronic Pain and Medical Issues
      • Medication Evaluation and Management
  • About Therapy
    • Session Formats
      • Individuals
      • Couples
      • Kids and Teens
      • Families
      • Canine Counseling
    • Therapy Styles
      • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
      • Family Systems (Psychodynamic)
      • Christian Counseling
      • Meditation and Mindfulness Training
      • Hypnosis Therapy Technique
    • FAQs
      • What is the difference between a psychologist and a counselor?
      • What is your confidentiality policy?
      • Does therapy really work?
      • How long will I need to be in therapy?
      • How often should I come?
      • How can I measure my progress in therapy?
      • What if I don’t share the same belief system or life circumstances as my therapist?
      • Can I use my insurance?
  • Inspiration
    • Articles
      • Blog
        • Getting Ahead of Your Anxiety

        • Raising Respectable Children – Am I Parenting the Right Way?

        • Superheroes – Why Do We Love Them

        • Combating Negativity to See the Big Picture

        • 8 Ways to Unstick Yourself and Find Motivation

    • Quotes
      • InstagramInstagram has returned invalid data.
    • Videos
      • Videos
        • Understanding Guilt and How It Works

        • Sexual Dissatisfaction

  • Checklist
    • Adult ADHD Self-Evaluation
    • Anxiety Self-Evaluation
    • Bipolarism Self-Evaluation
    • Depression Self-Evaluation
    • Panic Attack Self-Evaluation
    • Relationship Health Self-Evaluation
    • Social Anxiety Self-Evaluation
    • Sexual Dysfunction Self-Evaluation
  • About Us
    • Whole Life Philosophy
    • Staff
      • Heather Robbins, Ph.D., LP
      • James Robbins, MA., LPC
      • Leslie Scott, MS, LPC
      • Steve Reedy, MA, LPC, RMT, NMT
      • Breanna Katz-Estrada, MSW, LCSW
      • Emily McGlothlin, MS, LPC
      • Jon Johnston, MA, LPC
      • Kelly Kay Wynn, MS, MSW, LCSW
      • Marilyn Powell, Ph.D.
      • Diane Williams, MSW, LCSW
    • News
    • Blog
  • Contact Us
    • Rates
    • Insurance
      • Fees & Insurance
      • Medicare Part B
      • Blue Cross and Blue Shield
    • Location
    • Appointments
      • Schedule a Consultation
      • Scheduling Hours
      • Scheduling Policy
  • Social & Contact
    ‪(972) 755-0996

Dallas Whole Life Counseling

Licensed Psychologist and Therapists

Top 10 psychologists in Dallas, TX 2016 Top Counseling & Mental Health in Dallas

Schedule a Consult

Are You a Relationship Expert?

Are You a Relationship Expert-

May 2, 2016 by Ruth Okeefe

by James Robbins, M.A., LPC,

Are You a Relationship Expert-

Maybe you consider yourself good at relationships. Maybe you don’t. But even if you are a relationship expert, you are not the relationship expert in your relationship. If you were, then you wouldn’t be in that relationship.

When you are in a serious relationship, this is–by definition–the very best relationship you can manage at that time. If you had a better relationship available to you, you would be in that relationship. Most people in committed relationships have a longstanding to-do list for their partners, an ambitious “partner makeover” plan. Even though you are imperfectly fulfilling your partner’s needs, you feel he or she owes it you to fulfill yours. You even tell him/her just how to do it–if only he or she would listen!

Like it or not, you get the partner you deserve. You can’t choose your parents, you can’t choose your siblings, but you do choose your romantic partners.

Imagine you take a job you are “overqualified” for. You feel you are overworked and underpaid. But the thing is, you took the best job you could find. To then complain that you deserve to be treated differently by your employer is to misunderstand your actual value in the job market. If you can find an employer who will treat you more fairly, then do just that.

We do this with our closest relationships. We like to lecture our partner, explain to him or her how a relationship should really work. But if you really understood how a better relationship works, you would be in a better relationship. If you work on yourself and, over time, genuinely surpass your partner’s capacity for intimacy, then you will level up, you will leave that relationship. Period. If an angel dates a devil, then the angel isn’t really an angel, or the devil isn’t really a devil.

 

About the Author: James Robbins is a licensed professional counselor, published author and co-owner of Dallas Whole Life Counseling. He has over 15 years of experience helping people in various life stages that come from a wide variety of cultural, economic and family backgrounds. Learn more about his background by clicking here.

Filed Under: Articles, Blog, Education, Newsletter Tagged With: James Robbins, relationship, relationship expert

Search the Site

Latest Blog Posts

  • Getting Ahead of Your Anxiety
  • Raising Respectable Children – Am I Parenting the Right Way?
  • Superheroes – Why Do We Love Them
  • Combating Negativity to See the Big Picture
  • 8 Ways to Unstick Yourself and Find Motivation

Contact Us

North Dallas Location
6380 Lyndon B Johnson Freeway
Suite 299
Dallas, TX 75240

Plano Location
Legacy Place II
5700 Tennyson Parkway
Suite 300
Plano, TX 75024

Phone & Email
‪(972) 755-0996‬
contact@dallaswholelife.com

Office Hours
Mondays: 9:00AM – 8:00 PM
Tuesdays: 9:00AM – 8:00 PM
Wednesdays: 9:00AM – 8:00 PM
Thursdays: 9:00AM – 8:00 PM
Fridays: 9:00AM – 5:00 PM
Saturdays: 9:00AM – 5:00 PM
Sundays: Closed

Common Issues

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Couples Counseling
  • Physical Intimacy Issues
  • Panic
  • Senior Issues
  • Child & Adolescent
  • Christian Counseling
  • Career Coaching
  • Life Coaching
  • Social Anxiety
  • EMDR
  • Family Issues
  • Grief Counseling
  • Weight & Fitness
  • Eating Disorders
  • Chronic Pain
  • Medical Issues

Dallas Office Hours

Main Office: (972) 755-0996
Mondays: 9:00AM – 8:00 PM
Tuesdays: 9:00AM – 8:00 PM
Wednesdays: 9:00AM – 8:00 PM
Thursdays: 9:00AM – 8:00 PM
Fridays: 9:00AM – 5:00 PM
Saturdays: 9:00AM – 5:00 PM
Sundays: Closed

Follow Us

Contact Us

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Dallas Whole Life Counseling | 6380 Lyndon B Johnson Fwy., Suite 299 | Dallas, TX 75240 | (972) 755-0996Copyright © 2022. All Rights Reserved. Website by Rokkit Marketing.