Family Problems

by Paul Anderson, PhD, Psychologist, in Overland Park, KS What Does a Well-Functioning American Family Look Like? The 5 Essential Ingredients of Optimal Family Life in a Culturally Diverse ... Read More

Discussions about coming out typically deal with telling the parents. That makes sense, especially for young people still living at home. However, siblings play a role in the process as ... Read More

For many, the holidays are a joyous time to celebrate our traditions, spread cheer, and love on those we care about. For others, however, the holidays bring up a lot of negative emotions. ... Read More

Psychotherapist Salvador Minuchin developed the concept of enmeshment to characterize family systems with weak, poorly defined boundaries. The entire family may work to prop up a single ... Read More

Dear GoodTherapy.org, I’m done with my family. With the exception of my brother-in-law, they have all become angry, nasty people (dare I say racist in many cases). Their beliefs are the ... Read More

Dear GoodTherapy.org, I grew up in a dysfunctional family. I know every family is a little dysfunctional, but my parents were a special case. They were always trying to catch each other ... Read More

Dear GoodTherapy.org, My dad abandoned our family when I was in elementary school. A week after my birthday, actually. At 8 years old, I was man of the house. My mom was already bringing ... Read More

Dear GoodTherapy.org, My parents have three children, and I’m the least favorite. They’ve never said it in those exact words, but it’s obvious in the way they act. My two younger ... Read More

The month of May. Tulips and daffodils remind us that spring is a time for growth and change. May is not only Mental Health Awareness Month, it is also the month in which many celebrate ... Read More

Mother’s Day is observed on the second Sunday in May. Greeting card stores and flower shops go to great lengths to remind customers that many people have, or have had, mothers to celebrate. ... Read More

From a space of wonder, in a garden under a summer moon, two lovers studied the starry sky and considered how they might arrange the constellations if they hadn’t already been named. ... Read More

“I hope I never turn into my mother,” you say. “You sound just like your father,” you’re told. If one or both of your caregivers was passive-aggressive, the idea of turning into ... Read More