Is it okay to cut off from my family?
In my Sydney family counselling practice, I see many adult families who are struggling with a difficult parent, sibling or child and are using estrangement to manage their relationships. There may be very good reasons to distance yourself from your family/a family …
Is your child refusing to go to school? Here’s what you can do about it.
Many people approach the Sydney Couple and Family Specialists for help for school refusal. Typically, this happens after a child or teen has been school refusing for a couple of months and they have not been able to get anywhere with individual counselling. …
School refusal
As a Family Counsellor I work with a lot of families who have a child who is starting to avoid school or school refusing. Sometimes they have seen several other counsellors before they get to me. Some have been school refusing for …
How do I get my child to open up to me?
Raising resilient children who can tackle their own challenges is something we all strive for as parents. But how do we also ensure they seek our advice if they encounter a difficult problem or they feel anxious about something? Or, in their …
Why does asking my child/teen to turn off their gaming console cause an explosion of anger?
Ever wondered why your child’s Xbox or PlayStation 4 – their most favourite thing to do in the world – can also be a complete source of misery? Why do they explode into fits of rage when you finally get them to …
Adolescent Violence and Abuse in Families
There is a lot of discussion about violence between adult partners, but very little about teenagers who are violent and abusive towards other family members. As a Family Therapist I meet many parents who feel like they are “walking on eggshells” around …
How can I repair a cut-off with my family member?
Are you estranged or cut-off from your child? Perhaps you haven’t had contact for several months or even years? Maybe you are also missing out on seeing their children – your grandchildren? Or are you an adult child who hasn’t seen your …