Family Therapy

  1. Is your teen locked behind a mask of COVID-19 indifference? Five tips to help you get behind the mask.

    By:
    Date Published:
    Date Modified:
    Categories:
    , , , , , ,

    We are all moving from one coping strategy to another as we settle into the long grind of dealing with the implications of COVID-19. One minute we’re laughing at dark humor, the next we’re crying, or snapping at our spouse. Our teens are doing the same thing, but they’re teens, so we may not recognize their process. Instead of watching hours on end of news coverage about the virus, they may …Read More

  2. Dealing with In-Laws

    By:
    Date Published:
    Date Modified:
    Categories:
    , , , ,

    Originally published in our Laudable Life advice column in the Lakelands Leader Q: My in-laws just stayed with us for several days over the holidays. Truth be told I don’t like them very much. My father-in-law seems a bit full of himself and my mother-in-law can be very controlling and critical of me, my housekeeping, and my parenting. Now they want us to come down to their vacation home in Flor…Read More

  3. Thanksgiving plans with girlfriend verses parents

    By:
    Date Published:
    Date Modified:
    Categories:
    , , ,

    Question: Our son Jack is a freshman at the University of Chicago. He’s our only child and we are very proud of him. He seems to be adjusting well to college. In fact, so well that he already has a girlfriend! Unfortunately he just texted his dad and I that he plans to go to her house for Thanksgiving. We are so disappointed. Thanksgiving would have been our first chance to see him again since h…Read More

  4. College Student Living at Home for the Summer

    By:
    Date Published:
    Date Modified:
    Categories:
    , , , , , , ,

    Q: I’m a college student living at home for the summer, and I’m starting to get annoyed with my parents. Even though I lived independently on campus, they’re enforcing rules that I had to follow as a high schooler. I understand that they want to keep me safe; so they limit my ability to hang out with friends at night or don’t let me have girls over but it feels like I’m losing the freedo…Read More

  5. Conflict Over Choosing A College

    By:
    Date Published:
    Date Modified:
    Categories:
    , , , ,

    Originally published in our Laudable Life advice column in the Lakelands Leader Q: I'm a first generation Asian-American and I have my heart set on going to a school in Hawaii. We can easily afford it; but my father is uncomfortable with this and is threatening to withhold financial support to stop me from going. What should I do? A: Oh no.  We’re sorry to hear that. Tension with parents over c…Read More

  6. Needing Privacy From Your Spouse

    By:
    Date Published:
    Date Modified:
    Categories:
    , , , , , , ,

    Originally published in our Laudable Life advice column in the Lakelands Leader Q: I am a stay at home housewife. My husband recently started working from home and is now with me all the time. I feel like I lost my sense of privacy, the ability to have my own free time alone, and my husband is driving me crazy! What should I do? A: Sometimes feeling intruded upon or cramped when a spouse retires o…Read More

  7. Five Signs Someone May Be Lying To You

    By:
    Date Published:
    Date Modified:
    Categories:
    , , , , , , , , , ,

    Originally published in our Laudable Life advice column in the Lakelands Leader We’ve had a lot of questions about deception lately and how to tell when someone is being dishonest.  Here are a few strategies professionals use to tell fact from fiction. First, let’s look at body language and facial expressions. When someone is lying they may shift their weight causing a rocking motion or pace.…Read More

  8. How to Have a Healthy Timeout

    By:
    Date Published:
    Date Modified:
    Categories:
    , , , , , , , , ,

    Question: Whenever I get into a heated argument with my husband he says he “can’t talk about it anymore“ or “I’m impossible.” Sometimes he storms out of the house and drives away. It makes me crazy. I text him asking where he is and when he’s coming back. He says I need to give him space to cool down. How can I get him to stop this? Answer: Breaks, or timeouts, can be healthy during …Read More

  9. Having a safe halloween with food allergies

    By:
    Date Published:
    Date Modified:
    Categories:
    , , , , , ,

    Q: Our son has food allergies, peanuts, dairy, and gluten. It’s bad and it’s a pain, but we manage. We cook a lot at home and we know which treats he can eat. I send him to school and friends’ houses with his own cupcake when there’s a party; but Halloween is tough. He loves the costuming but he can’t eat much of what he gets. It’s a bummer. Sometimes people get offended when he’s pi…Read More

  10. Yikes! My Teen’s On Tinder!

    By:
    Date Published:
    Date Modified:
    Categories:
    , , ,
    Tags:
    , , ,

    Originally published on our Lakelands Leader advice column the Laudable Life Q: I found my twenty-something son using a Tinder app on his phone?  Should I be worried?  Isn’t that a hook-up site?  He says “No” and that I “don’t understand.”  Can you enlighten me? A: Dear Tinder Parent, Tinder is a social media app for meeting people.  Users view profiles of people in their area.  …Read More