Have you limited your communication and interactions with a family member, or stopped them entirely? If so, you’re not alone. According to statistics published by Psychology Today, over 25% of the U.S. population is currently estranged from a family member, and more than 43% have experienced family estrangement at some point during their lives.In many cases, estrangement is necessary, such...[ read more ]
Do you struggle to maintain a positive relationship with your father, mother, brother, sister, spouse, or child? If so, you’re not alone. Oftentimes, the people closest to us are the ones who know how to push our buttons the most. And conversely, we tend to show the worst sides of ourselves to the individuals we feel most comfortable around.While building...[ read more ]
Maintaining healthy relationships with extended family members—such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and in-laws—can be tough. According to an article published by YouGov, 46% of Americans don’t have any extended family members living in the same city or town as them. Unfortunately, for many people, this distance can make it difficult to nurture positive family relationships.If you’re...[ read more ]
Many of us grew up in households that were dysfunctional, where boundaries between parents and adults were blurred in unhealthy ways. Emotional incest is not of a sexual nature, but it does describe unhealthy emotional interactions between adults and children that are psychologically inappropriate.What this looks like in a real-life is a parent treating their child as a partner, relying...[ read more ]
Every family deals with challenges. But those families with either a parent or child who identifies as LGBTQ face particularly unique ones. Here are some of the most common challenges faced by LGBTQ families.Parental RightsWhen a married couple has a child, they automatically both become legal guardians of that child, right? This assumption is true for heterosexual couples in all...[ read more ]