Raising a family is not easy—and being a member of the family can sometimes be a struggle. Family therapy is based on the belief that the family is a unique social system with its own structure and patterns of communication, which are determined by many things—the parents’ beliefs and values, the personalities of all family members and the influence of the extended family, such as grandparents, aunts and uncles. The result of these variables is that each family develops its own unique personality, which is powerful and affects all of its members. Anyone who has a condition that interferes with their life and the lives of the other family members may find family therapy beneficial. Usually, the better the family functions the lower the stress level for the person with the health problem. Family therapy has been successful in treating many different types of families in a variety of situations, including the following. The parents have conflict with their relationship. A child … [Read more...]
Parenting During Difficult Financial Times – Boston Child Therapy and Parenting Information
Kids cost money. School clothes, cell phones, video games, baseball, girl scouts, daycare, music lessons, karate, field trips, birthday gifts, 5 meals a day, braces, contacts, car insurance, and the list goes on. If you’re feeling the pinch of the rising cost of parenting and a tighter budget, you’re not alone. Parents today face a financial balancing act that may bring feelings that range from guilt to panic. Many say that they are unable to meet the financial “demands” of their kids. “It’s not about greed,” one Boston-based parent says, “I worry that if my kid has less, she will have limited opportunity to pursue her dreams, her happiness, and might struggle socially with other kids at school.” Today, the question on parents’ minds is “how do we maximize our children’s chances at success without driving the family budget into the ground?” Here’s how you can start... Build Your Relationship with Your Kids The average kids receives approximately 2000 commands a day: wake up, get … [Read more...]
Helping your Child Through a Traumatic Situation
After a traumatic event like severe weather, a terrorist attack, an act of domestic violence, a car accident, a death in the family, and the list goes on... everyone is affected, even our children. One could say, especially our children. Traumatic events threaten everyone differently, but children are particularly vulnerable to the emotional and psychological effects of trauma. How do we help our children after they've been exposed to trauma? Here are a few important action-steps that we can take to help our children (kids and adolescents) through a difficult time like trauma: Remind and reassure them that you are going to do everything you can to protect them. Encourage them to talk with you about how they feel. Often, when children are faced with trauma, they begin to act younger (AKA regression)—hoping to revert to a happier time—and parents need to understand this is a coping response. It's easy to get upset and tell a child to "act your age" but parents should instead … [Read more...]
Irvin Yalom: Overcoming the Terror of Death
Irvin Yalom on Stanford University's Philosophy Talk, talking about the topic of his new book, "Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death. Irvin Yalom is the Founder of Existential Psychology. The sound in this video is not the best, but doesn't detract from the great dialog either. … [Read more...]
Family Therapy: Helping Aging Parents, and Staying Sane
Will and Marilyn had married late and had kids even later. With their kids entering adolescence, they were confronted with the possibility of becoming caregivers for Marilyn’s widowed mother after she fell, breaking her hip. Sarah has been a frequent volunteer for years, ever since retiring from the school district. But her health has been failing recently and she’s not sure how much longer she can live alone. She doesn’t want to live in a retirement home, but the last thing she wants to do is disrupt her children’s lives. Edward is a widower and has cancer that has spread to his liver. His children have A expressed concern over his living conditions, believing that he has not been caring for himself properly. Definitions and Key Thoughts for Helping Aging Parents Aging is a natural process. The rate at which people age varies widely according to many factors such as family history, emotional attitude, chronic medical conditions, and lifestyle. Although the risk of disability and … [Read more...]