I’m hesitant to give “tips” for relationships. I’m asked fairly often to do so, but I find the notion of “tips” reductionistic – couples and families can be really complex. I tend to encourage clients to consider where they are in the family life cycle, and the challenges of the developmental tasks at hand. This involves generative conversations which give way to more nuanced, expansive thinking. But when I find such a concise and helpful piece of writing by …
Category: Psychoeducation
One of the conflicts most often brought to my office is about the division of labor in the family. Pain and resentment can accumulate and run deep over who does what around the home, and with the children. Partners can feel devalued, and taken advantage of. Particularly with both partners working outside of the home, the question arises: What does it take to make a family household run? Some years ago, I became aware of the notions of physical labor …
Colleagues and I discuss how never to have a conversation, and the toxic nature of communication in this week’s presidential debate. Read the full article from The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/09/trump-biden-debate-communication/616553/ …
Today I read one of the most helpful articles on dealing with COVID 19 in The Harvard Business Review. Staff’s shared reflections about their collective “queasy, anxious” feelings lead to an interview with noted expert on grief, David Kessler. This is a time to overprotect but not overreact. Kessler, the author of Finding Meaning: the Sixth Stage of Grief and founder of grief.com shares his thoughts about why it is so important to acknowledge and name what we’re feeling as …
I’m sharing this terrific article by Jennifer Senior in today’s NY Times on negotiating issues around the coronavirus and how this process exposes the inevitable “power struggle” inherent in relationships. The author’s summation, “remember, you both are right,” lays bare this dynamic, and she shares some spot on advice. Senior goes to noted couples therapist Esther Perel for her take on the situation: “If you polarize and you think that there’s only one way to do things,” she said, “it’s …
Being a systemic therapist requires ongoing analysis of the ways in which power dynamics organize and shape the life-long relational dances in couples and families. Experiences of privilege and marginalization in the cultural landscape are critical to the daily lived experience of our clients, and impact their relationships in profound ways. In working with our Psychiatry residents at Penn, I welcome writing that fosters clarity about the influence of these complex, often silenced, aspects of power. Once again, my friend …
As a family therapy clinician and teacher, I am constantly talking about the importance of relationships. I’m thus thrilled when those outside of my specialty acknowledge that as well – especially when it comes from my colleagues and collaborators in the medical community. In “Why Your Cardiologist should ask about your Love Life,” Dr. Sandeep Jauhar discusses the link between heart health and our emotional and relational worlds: We have learned, for example, that fear and grief can cause serious cardiac injury. During …
Family historian, Stephanie Coontz, is admittedly one of my favorites. Former President of The Council on Contemporary Families, Dr. Coontz brings a much needed perspective to our cultural discourses about marriage and family life. Her capacity to mine enormous bodies of data and expose trends about the current state of relationships is remarkable – and very much needed. The landscape of marriage and family is not easy to navigate, and I’m grateful for her clarity and perspective. In that spirit (and because …
David Asch MD and Roy Rosin, MBA of The Center for Healthcare Innovation at Penn Medicine have published an article in The New England Journal of Medicine that supports the involvement of family and friends in improving health and health care outcomes. At The Center for Couples and Adult Families, we are thrilled to share this vision: that the quality of one’s relationships matters and has important and measurable impact on health and well being. …
Join colleagues at Penn Medicine and CHOP for this exciting panel, lead by transgender activist and family therapist, DR. ELIJAH NEALY. They will address the importance of family therapy in the treatment of transgender young adults. Dr. Nealy will be joined by Jacqueline HUDAK, PhD., LMFT, The Center for Couples and Adult Families, Perelman School of Medicine, Linda HAWKINS, Ph.D., Gender and Sexuality Development Clinic, CHOP, and Benoit DUBÉ, MD, Perelman School of Medicine. Wednesday, September 28th, 2016 6-8PM 16th Fl., 3535 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 …
