The Program

Have You And Your Partner Become More Like Roommates Than Soulmates Since Kids Came Into Your Life?

 Get the tools and support you need to create a thriving relationship with your partner while raising young children. Parenting children can be one of the most rewarding experiences life has to offer... but it is often hard on romantic relationships. This is especially true when children are still young and need lots of time and attention.

 

See if this sounds familiar…

  • You and your partner put so much of your time and energy into parenting, and perhaps your jobs, that there is little or nothing left to give one another at the end of the day.

  • Since kids came into your life, making time for your relationship has fallen to the bottom of your list of priorities.

  • Almost all of the time you and your partner spend together involves doing family activities with the kids.

  • What little “alone time” you and your partner have is usually spent sitting on the couch or laying in bed while zoning out on your devices.

  • When you and your partner talk, it is almost always about the kids or household business.

  • Date nights are either few and far between or completely non-existent.

  • As your family has grown, you have become increasingly impatient and irritable with your partner. Now the two of you argue moreover little or stupid things than you ever did in the past.

  • You feel unsupported and unappreciated by your partner.

  • Intimacy; what’s that? When sex does happen, it tends to be infrequent and/or perfunctory.

  • You feel like you and your partner have grown apart since having children.

  • You worry that, if something doesn’t change, you might not have a relationship left by the time the kids get older.

 

If this is your experience, you are not alone.

Many couples find themselves woefully unprepared for the toll, these early childrearing years can take on their romantic relationship. Decades of research have consistently shown that, for the vast majority of couples, relationship satisfaction plummets after the arrival of the first child and doesn’t start to rise again for years. At the same time, their commitment to their relationship increases so they are less likely to separate or divorce. It’s this way for couples regardless of their marital status, sexual orientation, and income level.

Has this dilemma of being more dissatisfied than ever with your partner's relationship yet also more committed than ever to remain in it left you feeling frustrated, stuck, and powerless? Have you more or less resigned yourself to being unhappy in your romantic relationship until the kids get older or maybe even until they leave home. It doesn’t have to be this way.

It is entirely possible to have a strong, satisfying relationship with your partner while raising young children. In fact, many couples are already doing this very thing. So how do these couples do it? It’s not like you haven’t tried to make things better. You’ve tried doing regular date nights but that either didn’t pan out or didn’t really help. Maybe you’ve read some online self-help articles but felt completely overwhelmed trying to figure out how to do all of the things they said to do.

Perhaps you’ve thought about going to couples counseling but didn’t think it was quite right for you or just couldn’t make it work with your schedules. Or maybe you’ve already been to couples counseling but somehow got off-track or felt like meeting every few weeks just wasn’t enough.

You know that you want things to be better between you and your partner but don’t know exactly how to make it happen.

Welcome to

Childproof Your Relationship

Childproof Your Relationship is a five-week experience that will give you and your partner the tools you need to create a thriving relationship while parenting young children.

With this program, you will learn how to:

  1. Re-prioritize your relationship.

  2. Regularly spend time together as a couple.

  3. Make your couple’s time interesting and meaningful.

  4. Improve your sexual relationship.

  5. Feel closer and more connected to one another.

I’ll give you the tools and support you need to feel more satisfied in your relationship with your partner.

At the end of the five-week program:

  1. You’ll have clarified the importance of your partner's relationship

  2. Created a better balance between parenting and partnering

  3. Discovered new ways of reconnecting and feeling closer to one another

    All without sacrificing your relationship with the kids.

Who is Kelly Guthrie?

I’m an insightful, compassionate, and open-minded therapist and coach

who has been helping people strengthen their partner relationships for the past 20 years. I have been married for over 25 years and am a mom to two mostly grown children and a dog. I’ve been where you are and vividly remember just how tough those early years of parenting were in my marriage. We got through it and now I want to help you do the same.

This program is for you if:

  1. Your romantic relationship has suffered since you started growing your family.

  2. You and your partner know you want your relationship to be better.

  3. You both are willing to do some work to make it happen.

  4. Both you and your partner want to work on your relationship now rather than later.

This program is not for you if:

  1. You want to focus on being a better parent. (We’re not working on that here)

  2. You want to go ahead and learn how to strengthen your relationship so you can work on it later when you have more time.

  3. Parenting is your only priority and you don’t care at all that much about your relationship or what happens to it.

  4. Emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse are currently happening in your relationship, or one or both of you are struggling with substance abuse or severe mental illness.

How This Program Works

  • 1. You’ll do some structured pre-work before the first session.

  • 2. You and your partner will meet with me each week for a 30 minute video call; This is where we will check in on your progress, you can ask questions, and I will provide feedback and support.

  • 3. You’ll do homework each week; this involves watching a few short videos and completing a simple worksheet. The homework is designed to be flexible so you can spread it out over several days or complete it all at once.

Here’s what happens week by week

 
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Pre-Work

Before you start the program, you’ll complete a few short worksheets and/or questionnaires so I can learn more about your relationship and goals for the program.

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Week 1

The Big Picture - We’ll start by overviewing the Childproof Your Relationship program. Then we’ll focus on how you see your relationship and getting into a good relationship mindset.

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Week 2

Creating Couples Time - This is where we’ll talk about the ins and outs of spending time together as a couple in ways that work for you.

 

Week 3

Making The Most Of Your Couples Time - Here we’ll focus on deciding what to do, incorporating novelty/variety, and making space for sexual intimacy)

 
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Week 4

Beyond Date Night - We’ll discuss why your day in, day out interactions matter so much and how the little things can go a long way toward keeping the two of you connected.

 
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Week 5

Communication essentials - We’ll overview your communication styles, address some common communication pitfalls, and then discuss what you can do to improve your communication.

 

The cost for the entire five-week program is $1,500.

Payment plans are available for as little as $300 per month.

 

Here are answers to some questions you might have…

  • I get this. After all, feeling like you don’t have enough time for your relationship is a big part of why you are here in the first place. The problem is that relationships are not self-sustaining. They need time and attention in order to be healthy and strong. This doesn’t mean that you have to devote hours every single day to your relationship, but it does mean that you’ll have to regularly invest some time and energy if you want things to improve. This program was specifically designed to be flexible so you can work at your own pace and at your convenience.

    If you truly are not willing or able to carve out some time to do the work for this program, then it isn’t going to be a good fit for you.

  • We will schedule a time for your five coaching calls when you register for the program. The calls will be at the same time each week (e.g., Tuesdays at 9:00 AM). You and your partner will have a variety of times to choose from so you can schedule your calls when it works best with your schedules. To get the most out of your coaching calls, please schedule them at a time when your children are napping or you can get someone else to watch them.

  • During the program, you will have unlimited email support from me for questions and feedback. I will respond to your email within two business days, often sooner.

  • I strongly believe that you will get the maximum benefit from this program if both you and your partner are willing to participate. At the same time, I understand that this is not always possible and will work with you individually if your partner truly does not wish to participate. Making positive changes on your end can definitely help influence your partner to make positive changes on their own end of things.

  • - Do the pre-work, about 1-2 hours

    - Show up for the weekly 30-minute coaching calls

    - Do the homework in between calls; allow a total of 1-2 hours each week for homework

    Be present and ready to work during the time we spend together

    - Keep an open mind; be willing to try new things even if they feel a little uncomfortable or difficult

  • There are no refunds once the sessions have begun. Here’s why:

    This program is an all-in investment in the future of your relationship. You are in the driver’s seat when it comes to your success here. I don’t want you to participate with one foot in and one foot out. This program is for you if you’re ready to do the work.

  • I designed the Childproof Your Relationship program to give couples a set of tools they can use to strengthen their partner relationship while raising young children. Your success will ultimately depend on what you do with these tools. If both of you consistently use them, the odds are excellent that you will succeed in strengthening your relationship. If you don’t put them into practice, then you will probably continue to feel dissatisfied and unhappy in this area of your life.

  • If you are ready to get started, email me and let me know if you want to register for the program.

    I’ll reply to you within 1 business day with instructions on how to complete the registration process and the next steps.

  • You can schedule a free 30-minute discovery call with me. This is a great way for us to discuss any remaining questions you might have about the program and to figure out if it is a good fit for you and your partner. Please know that I will never expect or pressure you to register for the program before, during, or after a discovery call. I would love for you to take part in the program but only if or when you feel confident that it is right for you.

    Click here to schedule a discovery call or email me with any questions you have about the program.