Dana was recently interviewed by Sarah Crow for an article in BestLife in which she provided tips to help sustain a healthy marriage. Having made it through the stress of the holidays, the advice provided in this article is timely for those looking to strengthen their relationships moving into the new year. One of the tips in the article was to “tell your partner what you need without being critical.” When one spouse says, “Is there a way you could stop leaving your socks on the floor?” all too often, their partner hears it as a personal slight. Instead, try to make those needs known without criticizing your partner. “If we can find a way to talk about our partner’s behaviors and how those behaviors impact the way we feel, then it is much easier for our partner to hear,” says Dana McNeil, a licensed marriage and family therapist based in San Diego. In doing so, you’re more likely to receive a response that’s rooted in empathy, rather than defensiveness. If you would like to have more tools to help strengthen your relationship, schedule a consultation today. Even if you believe your relationship is great, you can still benefit from a relationship checkup. You can read the full article here.  

Now that you are a married couple, how do you decide what to do for the holidays? Do you prepare for stress with traveling from house to house, trying to fit in visiting every family member from both sides? As the resident relationship expert on the I Do The Ultimate Wedding Show, Dana tackles this question head on, giving you permission to create your own holiday tradition. Check your local Cox Communications TV channel for this fun new show from YurView ! It runs Sundays at 5pm, Mondays at 9pm, Thursdays at 6pm, and Saturdays at 7pm. Click below to watch her excerpt: