Are You an Adult Child Who's Thinking of Going No Contact?

You are frustrated with repeated boundary violations. Maybe you set boundaries but don't know how to enforce them or keep them in place once they are set. You've tried explaining why you are so frustrated and your parents act like they have no idea what you are talking about. Every time you try to talk to them it ends up the same way and they act like they're the victim.

Are you a Parent Who's Afraid your Kids Are Becoming Estranged?

Your kids keep bringing up the past. They say things that don't make sense. Maybe they bring up things that never happened or, if they did happen, certainly didn't happen the way they remember it. Besides, you are doing so much better than your parents ever did. Your kids don't appreciate how much you've sacrificed and how much you've done that you certainly never got from your own family.

Family Therapy Can Help.

It can also make things worse. That's why it's important to find a therapist who knows the nuances of complicated family relationships and can speak to your specific concerns with knowledge and compassion. It's also important to know if you are ready to engage and do the hard work of Family Therapy.

Ask yourself:

• Are you are willing to hear the other person (not just planning what you are going to say next)?
• Are you willing to engage in the process of grief and loss over what you thought you knew and wanted?
• Have you done your own work, individually with a therapist, who knows how to help you grow through your specific experiences?
• Are you willing to adjust your expectations to what is possible?

If the answers to the above questions are yes, you may be ready for Family Therapy. Family members can learn to be emotionally responsive and hear what the other person is actually saying (and to finally be heard). Accountability, empathy, understanding, and safety are all possible if you are willing to take the risk of vulnerability through the work of family therapy.

Relationship reconciliation can be a painful, challenging process, but so is continuing to live in the cycle you are caught in. If you want to learn how to work through past hurts and betrayals and build a new foundation for your relationship, I can help.