In the first part of this two-part blog, I discussed the value of family rituals and traditions around Christmas time. The main benefits that were explored in my previous blog were:
- Family rituals and traditions offer families an opportunity to
Family Rituals and Traditions around Christmas time- Part 1 of 2
The first part of this two-part blog discusses the value of family rituals and traditions around Christmas time. By family rituals and traditions, I am referring to a set of actions or behaviors that are repeated and that carry with … Read more
The Family Mascot- The benefits of companion animals in family life
I am not saying anything new when I say that for many of us, companion animals are considered part of the family. In fact, Cohen (2002) found that over 85% of pet owners think of their companion animals as family … Read more
Why is it often hard to be different? – Family scripts
Imagine a scripted play and imagine the different character roles in a script that are defined by guidelines on what each actor contributes to the play. John Byng-Hall describes that similar to actors performing their roles in a play, we … Read more
Parents must put up a united front. Is that really necessary?
Children would benefit from an ordered structure present in the family which is consistent and not contradicted. This is the maxim that was promoted in the field of parenthood and parenting in the last decades. This philosophy relies on the … Read more
Yours, Mine, and Ours- Blended families – Part 2 of 2
In my previous blog, I introduced information about stepfamilies, also referred to as blended families, and focused on elements which may influence the experience of building close and supportive relationships in these families.
In a chapter written by Greene, Anderson, … Read more
Yours, Mine, and Ours- Blended families – Part 1 of 2
In this blog I would like to focus on writing about relationships in stepfamilies, also referred to as blended families. Parents of children who have experienced either marital separation or divorce, may sometimes opt to start dating, repartner, and in … Read more
The Narrative of members of a family & The Curious Therapist – Part 3 of 3
Curiosity is about gaining knowledge about the different views of different members of the family. That is why therapist do a lot of questions and at times, end up going through very attentively difficult situations families have experienced. It is … Read more
The Narrative of members of a family – Part 2 of 3
As explained in the earlier blog of this series, people usually interpret happenings in their family depending on what happened in the past. Sometimes through past intimate relationships they had or even through what they observed in their own families … Read more
The Narrative of members of a family – Part 1 of 3
It is often possible to look into families experiencing difficulties and find that one of the most fundamental disagreements is IF ACTUALLY HAVE A DISAGREEMENT. What statements usually give this away? “I do not know what the fuss is about?” … Read more