Have we raised a generation that relates better to screens than human beings? In Three Mistakes Parents Make with Technology, I advised parents to create family guidelines for technology in their homes. Now, we’ll examine the effects of over-reliance on technology and how it can diminish kids’ emotional intelligence. (Download or print a family technology […]
This anxiety-driven defense destroys relationships. Do you feel betrayed when others don’t do what you want? Do you wrestle with trusting people? Have a history of combative relationships? If you answered yes, it’s possible you have a controlling personality. That’s right, your controlling personality may be the cause of your biggest relationship headaches. But don’t […]
5 ways conflict strengthens intimacy. When faced with a conflict in an intimate relationship, do you suffer from the Triple A’s: apologizing, agreeing, and accommodating? Under pressure, are you more likely to compromise or hide your true feelings behind a tense smile or nervous laugh? Afterward, do you find yourself ruminating or losing sleep over […]
Group therapy is the express lane to healthier relationships and lasting happiness. So often we feel consumed by our problems. Overcome one obstacle, another appears. Solve one dilemma, another one taps you on your shoulder. Let’s face it, life is full of suffering. Illness, injury, aging, death of loved ones; no one can escape these […]
Tired of feeling like an outsider? Adult Group therapy can help. When your favorite love song is played on a well-tuned instrument, you can relax and listen without distraction. But when the instrument is out of tune, even a master musician can’t make it sound right. Emotional attunement operates similarly in relationships. When someone listens […]
3 ways to care for yourself and find help. Addiction is a disease like no other. It doesn’t appear on x-rays, it isn’t an injury or allergy with a simple cure. It’s a phantom that travels through families, crossing decades, and suddenly reappearing in new generations. It destroys marriages and devastates relationships. It forever changes […]
Rules for a healthy argument: how to fight for — not against — your teenager. Dear Teenage Son/Daughter, It’s difficult for us to communicate these days. We stumble into an argument, get angry or frustrated. We say things we regret. We bruise each other with our words. Being a parent of a teenager is the […]
After listening to many bullied parents’ stories in my psychotherapy office, I began to recognize many shared experiences. Although bullied parents come from various cultures and communities, I’ve identified the three most common scenarios that enable kids to bully their parents. The parents most likely to be bullied by their kids are: Parents who were […]
Life provides suffering, healing requires help. How do you recover when you feel utterly crushed by life? When your heart literally aches with every beat? Whether you saw it coming or didn’t, the feeling is the same: you’re devastated. You gasp at your vulnerability and wonder, “Why did this happen?” Life dishes up so many […]
How to tell the difference between normal adolescence and more serious conditions. Some kids pass through adolescence swiftly, with little turmoil. For others, puberty detonates like a time bomb; once it goes off, nothing is the same. As a psychotherapist, I’ve sat with many brokenhearted parents as they agonize over their teen’s behavior, mystified by […]
