About Me
Christine E. Carpenter, PsyD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
So in the spirit of full disclosure, you should know that I'm like that person you find yourself hating in spite of yourself. I've actually never truly dated. I have had several long-term relationships, the most recent of which I entered at the wise old age of 21. My husband and I met in college and started dating pretty quickly. We moved in together after 1 year and dated for 6 more before he proposed. We will be very happily celebrating our 19th wedding anniversary this year. I know....
But while it makes a pretty story on the surface, I'm just like many of you in ways you can't begin to imagine. I'm not so special that I got to skip the developmental steps of dating. I just did them mostly with one person. And honestly that's because I was too scared and insecure to venture out further than what was comfortable. Thankfully, my now-husband was too. It is a rare example of two people's evolution occurring in sync with each other. And yes, I am grateful every day.
Through my own experience and the nearly 20 years I have spent helping clients navigate this tricky territory, I have learned volumes about relational behavior; what works and what doesn't. Luckily for us, human behavior is pretty predictable. From this I have devised a schema that breaks down the complexities of courtship and mating into bite-sized, understandable themes. I will help you clarify everything including:
So go ahead and hate me if you must. But don't let it keep you from your own evolution.
But while it makes a pretty story on the surface, I'm just like many of you in ways you can't begin to imagine. I'm not so special that I got to skip the developmental steps of dating. I just did them mostly with one person. And honestly that's because I was too scared and insecure to venture out further than what was comfortable. Thankfully, my now-husband was too. It is a rare example of two people's evolution occurring in sync with each other. And yes, I am grateful every day.
Through my own experience and the nearly 20 years I have spent helping clients navigate this tricky territory, I have learned volumes about relational behavior; what works and what doesn't. Luckily for us, human behavior is pretty predictable. From this I have devised a schema that breaks down the complexities of courtship and mating into bite-sized, understandable themes. I will help you clarify everything including:
- interpreting the first few online contacts
- the benefits of dating more than one person at a time
- how and why to communicate clearly without the game-playing
- whether or not to reach out to the old flame you can't quite shake
- when to start having sex (no one listens to me on this one btw, but they go into it understanding the risks)
- bringing someone home to meet the family for the first time
- introducing your children from a previous marriage to the new person in your life
- dating after divorce
- and whatever else you can throw at me
So go ahead and hate me if you must. But don't let it keep you from your own evolution.