Are you questioning whether or not your family would benefit from family therapy? Well first things first, every family would benefit from this form of therapy due to the ability to process difficult feelings in a safe place with the family system. Homeostasis is very important in maintaining a healthy balance and relationship between family members. If there’s a disruption within the family system, if there lacks communication, if there are behaviors that are worsening.. it may be best to try family therapy. The goals for family therapy usually include helping develop healthy boundaries, facilitating healthy communication patterns, and building empathy and understanding.

Walking the Tightrope of Expectations

Setting expectations for your child is meant to be helpful. But, when is it harmful? Similar to a tightrope, expectations can be tricky to navigate and acrobats (in this case, your child) often require the perfect combination of skill, training, and coaching to be able to successfully get across. So when you set expectations for your child you should consider whether or not you are setting your child up to succeed (meet the expectations) or fail (not meet the expectations).

Adolescence, Boundary Setting, FamilyVirgdant Breton, LSWApril 12, 2023teens, expectations, parenting, kids, family

Sticking to Your Family Goals

What’s your family goal this year? Whether you’re aiming to spend more time together, to be more active as a family, or to schedule one on one time with each other, it’s great to have an intent that the whole family can work towards. Only downside: it’s easier said than done. Navigating the hurdles of sticking to an individual goal can be hard enough. Trying to stick to goals as a family with three, four, five or more only magnifies those challenges. The idea of working towards a goal can feel enticing, exhilarating, and exciting at first – until, it's not. Once the thrill is gone, then you’re faced with the biggest hurdle: sticking to it. Life gets in the way and other to-do’s seem more important. Just because you’re busy doesn’t mean that you have to give up on your goal! Here are few tips to help your family stay on track and hold each other accountable…

My Child is Starting Therapy… What Should I Do?

Give yourself a pat on the back for getting your child to come see a therapist! It’s no easy feat to get your child to work through their challenges—like trouble with self-esteem, behavioral issues, and school-related struggles, to name a few. So, you got them in the door… now what? How can you help your child “get better”? Is there something you can do to help them through the process? The short answer is yes! Here are some steps you can take to support your child through therapy…

Action steps, Benefits of Therapy, FamilyJoseph Bioletti, LACAugust 24, 2022therapy, family, modeling, behavior, children, teens

Navigating the Back-to-School Transition

It’s August! As much as you want to soak up the last of summer, you’re probably preparing for the start of school too. You’re likely buying new school supplies and awaiting your child’s school schedule. But what about preparing your child mentally and emotionally for school too? If your child spent most of their summer at camp, it’s now time for them to re-learn how to sit still in the classroom instead of running around outside. Or maybe your child has enjoyed late summer nights, and now they need to re-learn how to stick to a traditional school routine. Whatever it is, August is the perfect time to start early and help your child get ready for the new school year. Plus, it’ll make the transition easier for you too. Here are some tips…

Is My Child at Risk for Substance Use?

Many parents wonder, “When is the right time to have a talk around substance abuse with my child?” The time to have this challenging discussion will vary for each child; there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, it’s best to be proactive. Your child’s risk for exposure to substance use will increase as they reach their early teen years. And it’s not a matter of if they get exposed to substances; it’s a matter of when it happens. So once you determine the right time to talk to your child, what do you do next? What do you talk about, and how do you remain a source of support that your child can reach out to with any questions or concerns down the road? How can you most effectively navigate the conversation around substance use? Here are some tips to help you get things started…

Are You a Good Listener?

We’ve heard the question “Are you listening?” many times since childhood. But what does that mean exactly? What makes a person a good listener and why is it important? Effective listening isn’t just hearing and receiving auditory information. It’s a practiced skill that can strengthen and deepen your relationships. Whether it be applied to work or while at home, being a good listener is a helpful skill when trying to resolve conflicts, strengthen empathy, and build connections with others. Good listening skills boost positive interactions with others, leading to a better overall well-being. Here are some tips…

Talking To Your Kids About Divorce

It’s been a roller coaster of a ride and you feel emotionally drained. There are many logistics to consider, but the biggest one weighing on your mind? It’s how to tell the kids. Here are some helpful tips when talking to your children about divorce…

Getting Your Family Ready For Back To School

As summer winds down, the new school year is almost here. This time of year brings a sense of nervousness and dread for many families as they think about the daunting task of prepping for back-to-school. The summer days are full of relaxation without much structure, but now as the school year looms closer it’s time to get back into routine. Here are a few tips to get yourself and your family ready for the school year ahead…

Practicing Conscious Parenting

Parenting has its ups and downs. When your children are getting along and they’re in good moods, it’s wonderful. But when one child is misbehaving, or another child’s behavior is out of control, you may naturally feel frustrated, concerned, and unsure of how to respond. While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to parenting, there are ways to reduce stress and help your children grow. One option is conscious parenting. Conscious parenting is a mindful, parent-focused approach. The central idea is that in order to help your children, you must first help yourself. Let’s learn more about how to be a conscious parent…

Maintaining Your Self-Respect as a Parent

Parenting as we used to know it (pre-pandemic) has radically changed! We are now being challenged with multi-tasking and problem-solving novel situations with no road map or clear answers. Although positive parenting is possible right now, it certainly is challenging! To feel both effective AND simultaneously good about yourself while navigating this challenging time, use the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skill of FAST to maintain your self-respect as a parent. FAST is helps you keep your self-respect in relationships by honoring your own values and beliefs. Let’s explore how it works…

How to Ask for What You Need

The pandemic certainly has impacted our well-being and our relationships as a result! We’re being emotionally and physically taxed in a variety of new ways. They can lead to heightened emotions, feelings of overwhelm, and emotional instability; these all make it difficult to navigate interpersonal relationships. In order to feel validated and heard while also successfully asking for what you want during this difficult time, try using a well-known skill from Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, DEARMAN. DEARMAN is a DBT skill that helps you be effective in getting what you want or asserting “NO.” Here’s how it works…

Creative Ways to Bond with your Teen During a Pandemic

Do you wish you had a stronger bond with your teen? Although you may be living underneath the same roof as your teen, it may feel as though you’re miles away from them. You may be physically close, yet emotionally distant. This year has been emotionally tolling on most people and your teen is no exception. When you are both under such strain, it can be more challenging than ever to find common ground. You don’t have to let the stress and monotony of a pandemic get in the way of cultivating positive experiences with your child. Consider these three creative ways to reconnect and bond with your teen during the next few months…

Three Ways to Cope with This Year’s Virtual Holiday Season

With the holiday season looming, it is becoming increasingly evident that this year’s festivities might not resemble years past. However, with a little extra effort and creativity, a merry holiday season can persevere. Here are three ways to cope with the virtual holiday season...

Action steps, Family, Tips for Your MindEmily HudakNovember 22, 2020holidays, coping, challenges, family, gratitude

Ways to Control the Chaos while Keeping your Cool

Have your emotions felt out of control lately? It’s hard to be your best self during a pandemic. Trying to keep the family calm so that you all get along is a major undertaking—let alone keeping your own emotions in-check. Though it would be nice, you can’t ever have complete control over how you feel. The best you can do is to develop better emotion regulation skills so that you’re not feeling emotionally drained by the end of the day. Here are some DBT-inspired tips and tricks to manage an endless list of to-do’s while maintaining your composure…

Easing Your Family's Back-to-School Transition

With the school year starting any day now, many parents and children are understandably anxious. There’s a great deal of uncertainty about what the new school year will look like and how it will compare to expectations. No matter what happens, this start of school will not be “normal.” It requires a different approach than previous years: an approach composed of determination, patience, compassion, and mindfulness. If you’re looking for ways to ease this especially challenging back to school transition for the kids (and for yourself), here are some helpful tips…

Improve Family Dynamics Using Dialectics

Has the pandemic taken its toll on your family? Constant family time can strain family dynamics, even in the most agreeable of families. Spending 24/7 with the same people makes it more likely for conflicts to arise. Are you tired of arguing with your partner or pulling your hair out over your kids’ bickering? Take a dialectical approach. When you think dialectically, you acknowledge that two opposing ideas are both true; then, you find balance between those ideas in order to be most effective. Are you ready to make family time less stressful? Let’s learn about dialectics and how you can apply it to your family dynamics for calmer days ahead…

Resolving Family Conflicts with VALIDATE

Are you often at odds with your kids, partner, or other people in your quarantine bubble? Disagreements during already stressful times can make everyday life difficult for everyone. With continuous conflict caused by being around each other all of the time, your family may feel out of touch, tense, or distant. How can you strengthen your family relationships, reduce conflict, and feel happier? Next time you encounter conflict, give the VALIDATE skill a try! VALIDATE helps you validate others; you verbally recognize how they are feeling in order to reach a mutual understanding and find a solution. It’s perfect for families because it encourages open, honest communication, allowing family members to connect on a deeper level. Let’s explore how VALIDATE can help your family…

3 Ways to Help your Family Transition to a New Normal

As quarantine measures relax and things begin transitioning back to a “new normal,” it may be time for your family to begin painting a picture of what this transition could look like. We have been through a total of 3 massive and immediate changes in less than 4 months, which means that our brains have been working overtime to adjust time and time again. That’s a lot to cope with! Therefore, it’s understandable if you’re feeling hesitant, confused, or unsure about how to proceed. Here are 3 ways you can help your families (and your minds) prepare to transition to your “new normal” in the weeks ahead…

3 Ways to be a More Effective Parent during COVID-19

As parents, we all have unique ideals and expectations of the experience of raising our kids. We set schedules, we create routines and we teach lessons to instill those ideals in our children as we try to meet our own. So, how do we manage when our children change, when we change, and when life changes? It’s challenging to parent your children the same way that you were months ago, before the pandemic began. Therefore, it is crucial that we adapt to changing circumstances. How can we maintain a flexible stance with our parenting and create a calmer home environment? Here are 3 ways to help you become a more effective parenting during this crisis…

Helpful Tips