Every family is complicated. A family that functions in a health way is always a combination of individuals with unique personalities and tendencies being able to coordinate their actions across different roles. Even though it can seem that some families on TV and Facebook just naturally get along without any disagreements or friction, the reality is that there is always a lot going on beneath the surface of family life. No one should expect it to be a breeze.

And then, there are some family situations that have challenges no one ever expected. Situations like:

• Step-parenting

• Parenting a child with challenging or hard-to-understand behaviors

• Having a family member who struggles with addiction or a personality disorder

• Having a family member who experiences chronic health problems

• Grandparents raising grandchildren

• Adult children going “no-contact” with parents

• Other forms of estrangement

In addition to my doctoral education in Marriage and Family Therapy, I have been a parent, a step-parent, a step-grandparent, a foster parent, and have been through the transition to parenting adult children. I believe all these experiences are helpful in navigating the wide range of family situations.

In working with families, I primarily use approaches from Family Systems and Contextual Therapy that focus on adjusting the patterns of communication and cooperation among family members, while ensuring that the perspective of each family member in the counseling process is heard and valued.