Advice on Grief and Loss and Addiction

Advice on Grief and Loss and Addiction

Many addicts in the early stages of recovery will experience grief and a sense of profound loss. Robert Weiss LCSW, recently published a thought provoking article about the role of grief and loss in addiction recovery. Weiss suggests that addicts and family members in the early stages of recovery may not have considered the strong role that the grief process...[ read more ]

Losing a parent

Losing a parent can be one of the most traumatic experiences you will ever face. While some factors may make the grief process more complex, such as unresolved conflict with the parent, or the way in which the parent died, the loss of a parent has a lasting impact in your life. In some situations, this grief may lead to...[ read more ]

7 Mistakes that people make when a child dies

It inconceivable. The pain that a parent experiences when their child dies. There are no adequate words to describe what they are going through or how deeply their emotions run. Parents who have lost a child find themselves in a canyon of immense sadness.  Friends, family members, teachers, coaches and peers struggle as they want to provide comfort. Being available,...[ read more ]

Development disorder trauma in children

Developmental disorder trauma in children has the potential to be disruptive to a child well beyond childhood. These traumas, if unresolved, can pose significant challenges to the adult child in their life, socially, and otherwise. This new approach to looking at childhood trauma helps us understand how interventions can assist children and adult survivors of traumatic events or pasts. This...[ read more ]

How to Co-Parent Successfully after Divorce

Divorces involving children can be especially challenging- and draining, for all parties involved.  While you may have seen the writing on the walls for some time, a divorce often feels very sudden to the children involved. The sudden breakdown of the family structure after a divorce can be traumatic for children. Children often experience feelings of abandonment, confusion and loss....[ read more ]

Should my child see a therapist?

Knowing if you should take your child in to see a therapist can be very challenging. Especially when it comes to young children who don’t have the emotional or communication skills to verbalize what they need or how they’re feeling. Therapy can be very helpful for kids. It can teach children healthy coping skills,  how to understand, articulate and express...[ read more ]

Grieving the family you never had

For several years I worked for the Department of  Family Services. I worked closely with children who were removed from their homes in order to keep them safe from an abusive parent(s). Some of these children were later returned to their homes, and some went into the foster care system. Some of the children were never removed and some of...[ read more ]

Speaking of the unmentionable

“What really happened to grandma” asks your child after your mother, your child’s grandmother, died in a recent car accident. What happened is that grandma failed to yield a 4-way stop and was hit by another car, resulting in severe head trauma and ultimately a brain hemorrhage. Grandma died in an ambulance, on the way to the hospital.     “Talking...[ read more ]

Children coping with divorce

Almost half of all marriages in the United States end in divorce. Divorce is one of the most stressful life events for both children and their parents. Major stressors and risk factors include the initial period after separation, parental conflict, the loss of vital relationships, financial problems, and re-partnering or remarriage.   While some children seem to adapt to all...[ read more ]

Losing your person

You wake up in the morning with reminders that “your person” isn’t there anymore. Their toothbrush isn’t in the holder in the bathroom, their shoes aren’t laying in the middle of the floor, as they usually are. You don’t hear them clear their throat in the morning as they read the news and check their facebook. You don’t smell their...[ read more ]