3 Tips to Connect with Your Child (Originally published by Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute )
Wow, he’s finally getting out of the house for the weekend,” my husband and I remarked to each other this morning, after our almost 15-year-old son left for his high school band camp. This isn’t a statement I expected to make when I had teenagers. Our society not only...
Several years ago, I experienced a sense of loss upon hearing that my neighbour and her husband were getting divorced. I wasn’t particularly close to them, but for a fleeting moment I thought about the ways in which this separation would impact me. Most of us...
How to Make Lasting Change (Originally published by Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute ).
Do you have anything you would like to change? Is there something you do too much of? Or, is there something you do too little of? Would you like to change the way you interact with someone close to you, but feel like you are short on the willpower needed to take...
3 Ideas for Building Healthy Relationships in Adulthood (Originally published by Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute )
Human beings are relational. We are social creatures, and we need to be connected to others throughout our lives. This is easily understood in infancy and childhood, when we know that having reliable, safe, and emotionally nurturing adult caregivers is essential for...
Teens and Technology; 6 Strategies to Curb the Compulsion (Originally published by Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute ).
My parents are so stupid. I can’t believe they are making me meet with you. This f..king sucks. They think I am addicted to video games. She’s on her phone all the time! So begin many of my initial meetings with families. Parental and caregiver concerns over their...
4 Tips for Navigating Family Conflicts (Originally published by Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute ).
Conflict is usually seen as negative or something to be avoided. There is even a myth that there is no place for conflict in a happy or “functional” family. However, the truth is that conflict exists, and it can be a healthy part of engaging with others. While poorly...
4 Keys to Helping Someone with a Mental Illness (Originally published by Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute ).
Someone you care about has a mental illness – what do you do? The temptation is to try to persuade the person to think or act differently, but that doesn’t work very well. You end up arguing and talking in circles, only to get frustrated with each other. What now? 1....
Strategies for Difficult Conversations (Originally published by Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute ).
Have you ever had a difficult conversation? You know the ones I’m talking about – you’ve run through it in your head a thousand times over, but it still doesn’t go as planned, or it’s sprung on you by your partner when you’re least expecting it! The thing with...