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Family Therapy

Here are some resources for those seeking information on family therapy.

How to talk to your kids about the Texas mass shooting

Founder of the Relationship Place, Dr. Dana McNeil, was interviewed by Fox News and gave some great advice on how to talk to children about difficult topics such as the recent mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The most important thing to remember is we all grieve and process differently and that needs to be honored. There must be a couple of days to grieve the loss of what we found. Dana recommends being ready to …

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how to deal with narcissistic parents

How to Deal With A Narcissistic Parent

Acceptance Emotionally healthy children grow up with the need to develop their internal sense of self and should learn to develop autonomy with parents who are emotionally available enough to foster these traits in a warm and supportive environment. Unfortunately, not all parents are equipped to help their children learn to develop those skills for themselves, especially if the parent possess a personality disorder such as narcissism. Some parents with narcissistic personality disorder can miss …

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US Capitol Riot

US Capitol Riot – Talking to Our Kids: Fox 5 Interview

This past Wednesday our country shared in collective shock and sadness following the events that occurred in the US Capitol. Never before as a country have we had to experience so many losses and mind-bending concepts about who we are as Americans. How do we explain these types of events to our kids when we don’t really understand them ourselves?

I had the privilege of speaking with Kelsey Christensen of Fox 5 News about how to best help our children understand why this happened and what it means to them. One of the take-aways from our chat was how important it is that we not minimize our children’s fears and that we give them the space to talk about their fears as often as they need to.

We should normalize for them that these big feelings are real and that it is important for them to talk to their parents to help them better understand what they are experiencing. This means that parents need to be willing to have these conversations even though they may not know what to do or say. The important thing is that parents should be a safe space for their children and let them know they will never judge them for having their feelings – even if their children’s thoughts and feelings differ from their own.

self quarantine

Quarantined from your Partner?

People in essential services have continued working throughout the quarantine, and those who have had the option to work from home have been able to remain on the job as well. Many others have only recently begun returning to work.

Every day we hear reports about new cases of Covid-19, increased rates of positive tests, and speculation about another shut-down. For those venturing out into the world and workplace, they are increasing their exposure to other people and the risk of being infected themselves.

Concerns about exposure is leading many to quarantine themselves from their partners and/or families in order to protect them. As an example, I have a relative who routinely flies for work, stays in hotels, and eats take-out (when sit-down dining is not available). When he returns home, he quarantines himself from his wife for two weeks to ensure he does not have any symptoms.

Quarantining yourself this way may be prudent and responsible, but it can also cause anxiety, stress, and feelings of disconnection from your partner.

Here are some ideas to help you stay connected and reduce anxiety and stress during your time of quarantine:

living with an ex

Living With An Ex During Coronavirus?

Living with an ex is common these days. There are many reasons that couples make the decision to stay living together even when the relationship has ended. Most of the reasons my clients give revolve around finances and children. However, during this COVID-19 crisis, living together with your ex may cause additional stress and frustration making your reasons to stay in the first place seem insignificant!

family boundaries

Family Boundaries: Now that your spouse is your co-worker…

Like many of my clients, you survived week one working from home through a haze of shock, worry, and interrupted routines. This week you have decided that you want to have a plan in place as to how to best navigate what appears to be at least several months of working under the same roof and possibly even the same room as your partner and family. You want to be able to do more than just keep the peace and be cordial with your unexpected office mate. You want to be able to actually feel productive while avoiding feeling resentful of your partner because of too much-forced togetherness. You’ve probably decided that you need to set up a new set of rules as to how best to co-work without emotional distancing. You need family boundaries. 

Here a set of guidelines I have been suggesting my clients put into place while waiting out the quarantine:

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