Help for Families in Trouble
Having a significant, life-altering challenge in your family renders you separate from many of your peers. It can be like living in a parallel universe, fundamentally different from your expectations and dreams. Understanding and coming to terms with these unmet expectations is a key aspect of coping with – and indeed growing from – life’s curveballs.
I can help both adult and teen members of families that are experiencing challenges, including:
Couples Therapy
Most couples were not particularly trained in communication skills that lead to empathizing with the feelings of the person they love. This affects intimacy, contentment and sex. AACAST - the American Association of Couples and Sex Therapy at UCLA, where I trained and certified as a Couples and Sex Therapist, believes in providing both couples and sex therapy together. I can help couples navigate difficulties while becoming closer.
Having a Child with Special Needs
What do we mean by special needs? Special needs refers to a wide range of issues, including learning differences, acting out behaviors, drug or alcohol problems, and mental health struggles.
Many qualified clinicians can give advice about how to support a child with special needs, but I can help parents deal with their own reactions and feelings. Doing so allows parents to be more present and responsive to their children’s needs, and remain mindful of their own needs and limits as caregivers.
My extensive experience as an educational leader advocating for children with special needs within LAUSD and the LA Jewish school system offer me a unique perspective in this area as well.
Coping with a Family Member's Chronic Illness
While it is a consistent struggle to live with a chronic illness, those who care for others face their own challenges as well. Common reactions for caregivers include anger, frustration, helplessness, and uncertainty about your loved one’s autonomy and future. You may be unsure of how and when to help, and struggle to accept reality as it is.
Therapy is a powerful way to help caregivers work through their spectrum of feelings and come to a place of acceptance. I have worked with caregiver support groups for many years and bring sensitivity and compassion to the struggles involved in the demands of caregiving.
Family Estrangement
Families breed intense relationships that are increasingly leading to ruptures and emotional cut-off. Teens and adult children must negotiate the delicate balance between finding themselves as individuals and remaining connected to their families. This is especially common among children of divorce. Unfortunately, this journey of individuation may take some wrong turns, causing misunderstandings, hurt, and pain for all involved.
Trained by Dr. Joshua Coleman of Oakland, CA, a foremost expert in helping family members successfully deal with estrangement, I bring a wealth of knowledge, compassion, and concrete tools to help family members navigate the tricky waters of dealing with estranged family members and to help find a measure of peace and healing in their lives.
Adult Children and their Parent wishing to rebuild their relationship
I am also trained in the Restoring Family Connections*program, developed by Dr. Amy J. L. Baker, renowned parental alienation researcher, expert, author, and coach in parental alienation.
This program was developed to help targeted parents and their adult children work through their alienation experience and build a healthy relationship.
