The Therapist is In

Petruchio and Katharina came in to see me due to the problems that they were having with their marriage.  Petruchio complained that Kate was being too loud and wasn't respecting him as a husband.  Kate complained that Petruchio wasn't feeding her or providing for her, and that he was flirting with other women in front of her. 

To help them get through their problems, I tried some role playing, with each of them playing the other.  Petruchio made a mockery of the session and acted overly subservient while Kate just kept yelling.  After a brief recess to cool down I told them to take it more seriously, and we got a little more progress.  Petruchio started to undertand how ridiculous some of his requests were and Kate well... she kind of stayed the same way.  But good on Petruchio for at the very least recognizing that, in his own words, "I see how a small number of my requests, could be perceived as barely ridiculous."  Then Kate responded with sharp sarcasm, and Petruchio completely lost his temper.  But you know, baby steps.

I think that the visit today was a good stepping stone and a way to improve their relationship.  In the short term I think that they should try to identify the problems they have with each other and just talk through it.  The biggest problem is communication.  In the long term they should reach a point where they understand each other's problems and continue communication and display their gratitude and affection for each other.