Parenting

It’s not uncommon for adult siblings to hold very different opinions from one another about the personality of the parents they shared when they were …

If you aren’t naming and breaking the cycles that have entangled you, you are participating in them. This is true in most systems we are …

Instead of questioning (“How could you?”) or punishing (“How dare you!”) look for the entry point for empathy (“Oh, of course you…”). When someone – …

The first draft of this illustration was created as a professional resource, but as Social Distancing entered the global vocabulary and #quarantinewithkids started trending, I …

Demonstrating our trustworthiness builds relational bridges that self-advertisement cannot. If you sense that your friend, partner, child, client, etc. feels hesitant to trust you, let …

It’s not that social media is good or bad, the real question is: What we are willing to trade for likes, views, and follows? This is …

  When kids are anxious, it is human nature to want to soothe them. For kids with significant anxiety, however, we may need to monitor …

Shifting from Questions to Conversations It’s normal for parents to worry about kids as they navigate shared spaces, learning, and the social aspects of growing …

There is an enormous amount of pressure on parents to keep tabs on everything their teen does – especially online. But a little bit of …

By now, most counselors, pediatricians, teachers, and other people who work with children know about ACES: The “Adverse Childhood Experiences” scale. ACE’s predict, based on …

Kids who grow up in families where emotional needs are not validated and met often develop a deep sense of internal shame for having needs …

There’s a ton of pressure on parents and caregivers to meet every need. Sometimes shame around not being able to do so prevents families from …

When brains experience trauma, they struggle to cope with it. It’s normal – and part of the healing process – to have flashbacks, nightmares, or …

Humans have an innate ability to read people, situations, and our environment. If we pay attention, it helps keep us safe and helps us know …

  Dr. John Gottman spent 40 years researching marital stability and theorized these “4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” but it only took me a few …

Alexithymia is when a person is not able to express, tell the difference between, and name emotions. Most of us learn early – before we …

Some research shows that between 7% and 47% of teens self-harm, although the number of teens engaging in deliberate self-injury is, by some researcher estimates, …