“Whose house do we go to this year?” “I don’t get along with my in-laws!” “Your parents aren’t accepting of our family.” “Do we honor our chosen family or birth family?” This workshop will offer discussion, strategies and tips for navigating the holidays. Join Alapaki Yee, cofounder of GCI, as he discusses what makes a satisfying relationship and some of the unique stresses in gay relationships over the holidays, and what research is saying about how couples can move beyond these challenges.
Register: Click Here!
When: Tuesday, December 1, 2009, 6-8pm
Where: SF LGBT Center, 1800 Market St., San Francisco
Also, on 11/10/09 Salvatore and Alapaki were also recently on RadioBoiz Radio Show in St.Petersburg, Florida. Listeners got their questions answered regarding open relationships, gay marriage, and recovering from a breakup. It was a really fun show! Listen here:
Let’s face it, the current economic crisis can be stressful for any couple, and for same-sex couples, who aren’t offered the same financial protections that straight, married couples benefit from, it can be even more so.That’s one of the reasons that the Gay Couples Institute and Johnny Huang, financial representative from Northwestern Mutual, are teaming up to offer a free workshop for gay couples, “Recession-Proof Your Relationship.”
Talking about and negotiating money issues can be difficult, and in truth many couples try to avoid it, but according to Salvatore Garanzini of the Gay Couples Institute, “Couples who successfully discuss money issues and create a financial plan together end up staying together longer.” Therapists call this creating “shared meaning”, and having more shared meaning helps couples put day-to-day conflicts in perspective and help them deescalate conflict easier.
During the workshop, Salvatore will discuss why and how to have successful financial discussions with your partner.Johnny Huang from Northwestern Mutual will be discussing what couples should learn from the financial crisis and specific actions gay and lesbian couples can take to protect and enhance their financial future.
The workshop will be offered on April 20, at 7:00pm. Seating is limited, so please call in advance at 877.424.1221 to reserve your space or if you have any questions.
On Tuesday, February 17th, at 7pm, The Gay Couples Institute will be offering a free one hour workshop at it’s downtown San Francisco offices, designed to help both those who already have a great relationship and want to keep it on track, and those who want to rebuild a relationship that is having trouble. Participants will also get a brief introduction to the other services the clinic offers and have an opportunity to sign up for its free newsletter, counseling services or longer, more intensive, weekend workshops.
If you would like to attend the free workshop or are interested in the other services the institute offers contact The Gay Couples Institute at 877.424.1221
Do you have any suggestions about topics we should cover in coming workshops or seminars?
We’ve been asking gay couples these questions for months now; below are many of the responses. Post your answers in the comments below. We read your suggestions to come up with new methods to help couples keep their relationship strong. Thanks!
50 Comments Received So Far… »
Coming out to your parents and introducing your new boyfriend. How do you do this?Comment by Not out yet — April 7, 2008 @ 1:31 pm
Is it cheating when your boyfriend flirts and chats with other guys online? How do I make that work with him?Comment by AG — April 9, 2008 @ 10:56 am
How do I stop judging my boyfriend and appreciate him?
How do I deal w my attraction to other people? (more…)
Obviously when you marry you never think you might be sitting in a divorce attorney’s office dividing your assets. Who would want to think such things?
But it can happen. So now that gay couples can marry in some states, how can gay couples take on the responsibility of trying to stay together?
I found a few good gay pre-marital suggestions from hunting around through the research.
Ideally, get married after about 2 years of courtship. The ideal courtship length seems to be about 2 years and 4 months, to be exact.
Marry after age 25.
Talk about the big issues before marrying. How many kids does he want? How does she handle money? Are you sexually compatible? Couples tend to have one of these 6 common problems to deal with throughout their marriage:
Money
Sex
Parenting
Getting along with In-Laws
Tidiness/Chores
Use of Personal Free Time
Do stuff together, but also enjoy spending time at home together. One of the important things we look at when evaluating a couple’s relationship is whether, if given the option, they like spending time at home together, or if they’d rather be on the go. A preference of being on the go can be an indication that they’re avoiding being trapped together at home.
Have issues? Get help. A recent New York Times Article talked about how couples tend to get the most out of doing a couples workshop, rather than going to just therapy by itself. Workshops can serve as a good relationship “checkup”. If you’re interested, take a look at one of our coming gay couples workshops HERE.
For those of you who are getting married, we wish you a long-lasting, happy marriage. Congratulations!
How do I deal w my attraction to other people? (more…)