Relationship Renovation Counseling

Relationship Renovation Counseling Please check out our Relationship Renovation Podcast

Our Tucson counseling center is home to our Relationship Renovation program developed by Tarah and EJ Kerwin, an in-office or at-home programs to provide structured programming in supporting couples.

01/08/2026

How Tone Can Shape Emotional Safety

In this clip, E.J. shares his intention to become more aware of the way he communicates with Tarah. He explains that at times he speaks in a way that unintentionally diminishes emotional safety, coming across as harsh or abrupt.

Tarah reflects that when this happens, it makes it harder for her to stay open and connected. What stands out is that E.J. is not intending to be hurtful. Like many people, he does not always realize how his tone and delivery are landing.

This is a common dynamic in relationships. One partner may focus on what they are saying, while the other experiences how it is being said. Becoming aware of tone, pacing, and presence can make a meaningful difference in creating emotional safety and deeper connection.

What helps you feel emotionally safe in the way your partner communicates with you?

01/06/2026

Here’s to a Monday — but a different kind of Monday for 2026.
Grateful for the pause, the quality time, and the reminder that love, safety, and God’s protection are what matter most.
No matter the obstacles, having each other is everything. Walking into this year more present, more balanced, and deeply blessed. 🤍🙏 # # PresentOverPerfect GratefulHeart FaithOverFear BlessedLife SlowDown QualityTime GodIsGood NewYearEnergy

01/02/2026

Sometimes Your Partner Sees You More Clearly Than You See Yourself

In this clip, Dan Purcell from Get Your Marriage On talks about an uncomfortable but important truth. Your partner can often map your motivations more accurately than you can.

Many of us want to be seen in a certain way. That desire can cloud our own perception of what is really driving our behavior. From the outside, especially in moments of tension or conflict, a partner may notice patterns, defenses, or intentions that we are not yet aware of ourselves.

Dan emphasizes that in a trusting relationship with healthy communication, this can actually be a gift. When partners feel emotionally safe, they can offer observations not as criticism, but as insight. Being open to hearing what your partner sees can lead to deeper self awareness, growth, and connection.

What helps you stay open when your partner shares something hard to hear about you?

01/01/2026

Closeness Can Feel Uncomfortable Even in Strong Relationships

In this clip, Tarah shares a moment from when she and E.J. attended a couples retreat where they were asked to spend a significant amount of time each day simply looking into each other’s eyes.

She talks about how uncomfortable this felt at times, even though they are very close and deeply understand the importance of sustained connection in a healthy relationship. The experience highlighted how intimacy is not just about love or commitment, but about our capacity to stay present when closeness feels vulnerable.

Tarah’s reflection is a reminder that discomfort does not mean something is wrong. Often, it means we are stretching into deeper connection.

What helps you stay present when closeness feels intense or uncomfortable?

01/01/2026

Closeness Takes Practice

In this clip, Dan Purcell from Get Your Marriage On talks about the relationship between intimacy and our ability to tolerate closeness with another person. For many couples, the challenge is not a lack of love or desire, but discomfort with sustained emotional or physical closeness.

Dan explains that closeness can bring up vulnerability, old wounds, or nervous system activation. When that happens, people often pull away without realizing why. Learning to gently tolerate closeness, rather than escape it, allows intimacy to deepen over time.

This is not about forcing connection. It is about slowly expanding your capacity to stay present, open, and engaged with your partner in moments that matter.

What helps you stay connected when closeness feels vulnerable?

12/31/2025

What Your Hug Says About Your Relationship

In this clip from Tarah and E.J.’s interview with David Purcell of Get Your Marriage On, David talks about how much information is communicated through something as simple as a hug. The way you hold your partner can reveal presence, safety, distance, or tension often without a single word being spoken.

He references David Schnarch’s work in The Passionate Marriage and the idea of the intentional hug. This is not a quick or distracted embrace. It is a hug where you stay connected long enough to actually relax into one another’s arms.

That pause matters. When couples slow down and allow their bodies to settle together, it creates regulation, trust, and a felt sense of connection. Over time, these moments quietly strengthen intimacy in powerful ways.

When was the last time you hugged your partner long enough to truly relax together?

12/30/2025

When intimacy is strong, everything else gets easier

In this Reel, E.J. and Tarah sit down with Dan Purcell to talk about a powerful truth they see over and over again in their work with couples. When intimacy is in a good place, it doesn’t just improve the relationship. It improves everything.

Couples report feeling more grounded, more confident, and more capable of handling stress at work, parenting challenges, finances, and life transitions. When you feel emotionally and intimately connected at home, you carry that sense of safety and support into every other area of your life.

This conversation is a reminder that intimacy is not a luxury or a bonus. It is foundational. When it’s nurtured intentionally, it becomes the fuel that helps couples thrive both together and individually.

What changes in your life when your relationship feels connected and secure?

12/24/2025

Day 12 of 12 Days of Christmas — Partner Love Edition 🎄

Today’s act of kindness is sharing one intention.
Name one simple way you want to show up as a partner in the new year — not a resolution to perfect, just an intention to return to.

Intentions help love stay steady, even when life gets busy.


12/23/2025

Our Relationship Renovation at Home Manual is now available on Amazon.

This is a 4–6 month structured process designed to help you strengthen communication, deepen connection, rebuild intimacy, and feel more like you in your relationship again.

All it asks is about one hour a week. Inside, you’ll find guided exercises based on the research-proven model we use every day at our counseling center in Tucson.

If you’d like extra support along the way, you can also do a deeper dive through our Patron membership.

📘 Grab the manual on Amazon — link in bio
💬 Have questions? Send us a message anytime.




12/23/2025

How to Intentionally Build Intimacy Together

In this clip, E.J. uses spiritual intimacy as an example of how couples can get aligned on the exact ways they want to cultivate connection in their relationship. Rather than assuming you are on the same page, he talks about the importance of clearly defining what spiritual intimacy looks like for both partners.

This conversation becomes a larger framework for any area of intimacy. Couples can choose one aspect of their connection, name what they want together, and then create a simple, consistent plan to nurture it over time.

When intimacy is intentional rather than assumed, it becomes something couples build together instead of hoping it will happen on its own.

What area of intimacy would you and your partner want to define and grow together?

12/23/2025

Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas — Partner Love Edition 😍🎄

Today’s act of kindness is repair light.
Apologize for one small thing — even if it happened a long time ago.
No explaining. No defending. Just ownership.

Small repairs build trust and safety, and they matter deeply — especially during the holidays. 🎄



12/22/2025

Why New Experiences Bring Couples Closer

In this clip, Tarah talks about how couples who intentionally create new experiences together often report more satisfying intimate relationships. When partners step out of routine and share something novel, it sparks curiosity, engagement, and a sense of aliveness between them.

She explains that these moments activate dopamine, which plays a key role in bonding. Over time, those shared experiences help deepen intimacy and strengthen the emotional connection that supports closeness in every area of the relationship.

Connection grows when couples keep discovering life together, not just managing it side by side.

What is one new experience you and your partner could try together this month?

Address

1717 N. Tucson Boulevard
Tucson, AZ
85716

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 8pm
Tuesday 9am - 8pm
Wednesday 9am - 8pm
Thursday 9am - 8pm
Friday 9am - 8pm
Saturday 9am - 8pm
Sunday 9am - 8pm

Telephone

+15203722672

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