How to Set Boundaries and Manage Perceptions in Relationships with Mandy Goodwin Caporaletti, Ph.D.

When our relationship with someone is in a good place, we are more likely to brush off the less desirable things that they do. When we are facing a few bumps in the road, or are feeling stressed, those same behaviors that we could brush off may not seem so negligible anymore. I can discuss how to recognize when people are making unfavorable attributions about their relational partner and to not negatively affect the relationship.

How to Communicate More Assertively

Sometimes people have a hard time saying “no.” Sometimes people have a personal need, but don’t know how to express it to get the results that they want. I can discuss strategies people can use to say what they mean and get results, without fear of being seen as unhelpful or bossy or aggressive.

• -Why should people set boundaries?
• -When is the best time to set a new boundary?
• -If you feel you already have a great relationship as is, do you still need to set boundaries?
• -What are some examples of common boundaries in relationships that women in particular are less likely to set?
• -What steps should people take to set boundaries?
• -How should people enforce their boundaries, and I have always felt that if someone steps over a boundary it needs to be addressed right then and there, not at a later time.  What are your thoughts on that?
• -What does perception look like in an interpersonal relationship?
• -What affects the way people perceive their partner’s behaviors?
• -What is perception-checking and how can it be used to help a person’s relationship?
• -What is the best way to talk to your partner about misperceptions of each other’s behaviors?
• -What are the signs that a person is making maladaptive attributions about their partner?
• -What is the difference between being passive, assertive, and aggressive and can you give us some examples?
• -Being assertive can be uncomfortable for some people – how can they overcome that discomfort?
• -What if someone practices assertive communication, but doesn’t get the results they want?
• -How can someone practice assertive communication without being seen as unhelpful or bossy, and what is the line between being assertive and actually being unreasonable and hard to live with?
• -How will being assertive in my relationships positively affect how I see myself or my self-concept?
• -And so much more!