NOTE: “Let’s Talk Relationships” will air from 3-4 p.m. this Friday, Oct. 14, on Coyote Radio.
Relationships can be difficult, and to add to the challenge, it seems almost everyone has advice on how people can navigate and resolve problems as they arise.
For the past year, Kelly Campbell, a nationally recognized expert on relationships and an associate professor of psychology at Cal State San Bernardino, and Chelsea L. Lamb, a therapist from the CSUSB Department of Psychology who works on relationship issues, have hosted a call-in program on Coyote Radio to help people facing these challenges.
“Let’s Talk Relationships,” which airs over CSUSB’s Internet station Coyote Radio one Friday each month, examines various topics about relationships, from group and family dynamics to relationships with pets to sexual fetishes, and, yes, romance.
“So between the two of us, all bases are covered and the best part is, the advice is free!” Campbell says. “Our goal is to provide research-based information so people make informed decisions about their relationships.”
While there is no shortage of relationship advice — especially on the Internet, where a search on Bing.com generated 3.6 million results on the topic — Campbell and Lamb aim to make the advice they share more personalized.
“This is especially good for people who do not have the money to see a therapist on a regular basis, but even for those who are in therapy, it never hurts to get another’s perspective.” Campbell says. “The great thing about our show is that we offer solutions to real people’s problems. If a person doesn’t have a pressing relationship concern, they can still learn a lot from listening to the show because we present research-based information about relationships and interview experts in the field.”
And it’s the researched-based approach that Campbell says sets “Let’s Talk Relationships” apart, especially considering how much information, opinion and advice is available by a simple Internet search.
“Relationship advice is popular because it concerns everyone,” Campbell says. “Unfortunately, we don’t receive a formal education on how to succeed in relationships, and many people grow up in dysfunctional families. These two things combined make it so that people experience a lot of relationship problems and need relationship advice.
“Even a person who grew up in a healthy family environment and has read a lot about relationships may experience problems because relationships are complicated, she says. “People’s emotions are involved and when that happens, they tend not to think rationally and end up needing advice.”
Almost all types of relationships have been discussed on the show, and Campbell and Lamb often invite experts to help with listener questions and concerns.
“Our guests have been amazing. We learn something from them every show,” Campbell says. “One of our recent guests, Dr. Allen McConnell, studies relationships with pets. He shared that the more people anthropomorphize animals (see human qualities in them), the greater benefits they experience in terms of health and well being. Our September guest, Dr. Izzy Diaz, described the main reasons people experience conflict in groups, including cultural clashes and differing communication styles.”
In the end, the show is about helping people get along with each other, no matter the context of the relationship.
“Everyone experiences relationship problems, no one is immune,” Campbell says. “And there is nothing embarrassing about asking for help, even the experts benefit from seeking advice. The more people can use our services and seek the advice they need, the better they will get at solving their relationship problems. Skills do develop over time, all you need is motivation, good advice, and practice.”
“Let’s Talk Relationships” can be accessed through the Coyote Radio app, iTunes Radio, or by visiting the Coyote Radio website and selecting “Listen Now!”
Monthly topics are announced on the show’s Facebook page, @JustRelationships, and through Twitter by following @DrKellyCampbell. Archived episodes can be accessed on Sound Cloud.
About CSUSB
California State University, San Bernardino is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in Inland Southern California. Opened in 1965 and set at the foothills of the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains, the university serves more than 20,000 students each year and graduates about 4,000 students annually. CSUSB reflects the dynamic diversity of the region and has the most diverse student population of any university in the Inland Empire, and it has the second highest African American and Hispanic enrollments of all public universities in California. Eighty percent of those who graduate are the first in their families to do so.
For more information about Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.