Your parents may be used to being involved in every aspect of your life. When you move out, they may try to have extensive oversight over your choices. Your parents may scrutinize your spending, or they may have an involvement in your life goals that goes beyond interest and into attempts to control. You may find that you all disagree more and more on where, and how, you live.

Beyond the options to overcome your teen’s “whatever”, you’re not the only one in your teen’s life who can help motivate them! Consider who your teen already connects with. Do they have another family member they especially enjoy, or a friend, perhaps a teacher or coach? If you can facilitate them spending time together, or include them when you’re trying to motivate your teen, you’ll go even further in encouraging your teen.

Feeling stuck is a common experience, but it doesn't have to be a permanent one. By identifying and challenging your limiting beliefs, recognizing your abilities and strengths, and finding and prioritizing what you love, you can begin to move forward and lead a more purposeful life.

Therapists can go a long way toward breaking down myths around therapy, mental health, and family dynamics, but you can be the one to start that process for your family. You can talk with your family about the benefits of therapy, both generally and in the context of how you think therapy can help your own family.

The communication gap between you and your teen can be bridged with the careful construction of a respectful, interested connection. You can improve your communication with your teen by keeping calm, being persistent and consistent, respecting your teen as a whole person, and reaching out as often as possible so your teen knows you truly care.

While therapy, such as EMDR therapy, can help you long-term with your anxiety symptoms, there are many meditation, visualization, and breathing exercises you can use to calm down anxiety in the moment.

You’re noticing that you aren’t connecting as deeply as you used to. You want to make time for your partner, and you know they want to do the same for you, but you’re both driven, active people. You worry, do couples who are busy always grow apart? You cheer each other on in your accomplishments, but how can you stay close when you’re both pulled in so many directions?

To live a balanced life, you must also conclude that perhaps you cannot do it all, or certainly not all at once. The gradual process of building a balanced life starts with turning your attention where it’s needed most. Identify the most critical activities and allocate time and energy accordingly. This prevents burnout and ensures that your energy is directed towards the things in your life that align with overarching goals.

An open and supportive environment is the bedrock of emotional well-being for teens—and, to be truthful, that applies to adults and relationships. Create a nonjudgmental space where your teens feel comfortable expressing their feelings without fear of judgment or criticism.

In the tempestuous sea of divorce, our hearts are cast adrift, battered by emotions we never thought we'd feel. Yet, amid the wreckage, we can find support in family therapy, guiding you through the tumultuous waters of co-parenting.

As a co-parenting therapist who specializes in delivering family counseling to families of all shapes, I’ve put together some of the tips I use most in session.

Narrative therapy is a transformative therapeutic approach that views individuals as authors of their own life stories. It is rooted in the belief that people are not defined by their problems but rather by the narratives they construct around them. Developed by an Australian social worker in the 80’s, this empowering form of therapy seeks to deconstruct negative self-perceptions and limitations.

All too often, especially with teenagers in the house, you may find that family conversations turn into conflict. Sometimes the same kind of conflict, over and over, in fact. This can easily lead to post-argument anxiety, where you find yourself on edge, dreading an argument that will end up in an emotional attack of some sort.

These last three years aside, humans are a social species in need of others, whether it is seeking friendships or romantic relationships. It has been particularly difficult for men to discuss their mental health issues, surrounding anxiety, confidence, and self-worth. Unsurprisingly, these issues take a toll on relationships.

You probably remember what it was like to be a teenager struggling with an irritable mood that swings high and low or maybe even the painful experience of being left out of the group. You’ve come a long way since then, and found your voice, but what happens when it's your child who's pulling away from their peers, shutting down, and acting entirely unlike themselves?

What would change for you if every member of your family had the skills they needed to feel comfortable navigating celebrations and conflict with the same confidence? Does this sound like the future you’re hoping for in your home? An experienced family therapist can help you create it in family therapy sessions.

As a family therapist, I visit with families at many moments in their lives, whether just wanting communication skills or working to repair years of damage. Family therapy can also help when you don’t know what to do when a family member struggles with substance use or how to overcome shared family trauma.

Today’s blog gets into it!

In this blog, we will get familiar with how the pain of divorce, child loss, adoption, and infertility can damage the stitching on the family quilt and how families can seam it back together.

Therapy for teens and their families calls attention to all these differences by naming them, embracing them, and encouraging change within them. The goal is for all to find in each piece, worthiness, and purpose to ensure a healthy and happy family.

Even when we’re full-grown adults, we can’t seem to escape the effects of our childhood that bring us back to the moment we were 15, small, indignant, and still not feeling heard by the primary decision-makers in our lives. Whether it’s that, or an age-old feud with our siblings, even now, we may notice those same patterns surfacing in the day-to-day interactions with our own children.

Find the link for this blog written by Therapist Alexa von Oertzen here!