Strengthening Your Relationship | Interview with Dr. Alduan Tartt

Psychologist Dr. Alduan Tartt is passionate about improving relationships. He works with both couples and individuals, as well as providing marriage enrichment experiences to help couples strengthen their relationship. We love Dr. Tartt’s emphasis on investing in your relationship with your spouse and appreciate having him as a friend of Spouzal. We were fortunate to chat with Dr. Tartt to learn more about his expertise in building strong marriages, addressing common relationship stumbling blocks, and more. Check out the interview below and consider joining Spouzal today for access to events hosted by Dr. Tartt.  

Spouzal: What inspired you to specialize in helping people create thriving relationships?

Dr. Alduan Tartt: I realized that I could help couples better communicate, connect, and resolve conflict to make relationships and marriages better with my professional training and experience. 

S: When do you think couples should seek marital counseling?

AT: Couples should seek marital therapy before they get married. Couples who engage in premarital counseling report improved relationship skills and marital satisfaction.

S: What’s a common stumbling block you frequently see in marriages? How can couples either prevent this from happening or manage it gracefully?

AT: The most common issue I see is disconnection. Couples, especially modern day ones, have developed a bad habit of not spending quality time together. Couples administrate kids’ activities, work, hobbies, etc. but neglect to schedule quality time, dates, and fun. That leads to a feeling of disconnection, which opens to the door to affairs, unmet needs, and unhappiness within the marriage.

S: How can couples invest in their relationship?

AT: Couples can invest by making their marriage a real priority in practice. First, couples should  spend quality time together on a consistent basis. Second, couples should schedule dates even if it means that you don’t leave the house to continue the romance. Couples should also invest in great conflict resolution skills to be able to handle necessary conflict to make the marriage work for both spouses.

S: What is one simple way to be a better spouse?

AT: I would say to do a self-inventory and work on the skills that need to be strengthened. For most husbands, working on self-control, temperance, and being able to communicate without shutting down are great places to start. For wives, I would say being able to communicate feelings and needs real time with respect, softness, and being direct so that changes can happen quickly versus allowing animosity building it. 

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