Coping With Empty Nest Syndrome
As a parent, one of your ultimate goals is to see your children reach milestones of independence. Watching your children graduate high school or college, pursue certifications or specialties, get married, launch a career and have their own families is one of the supreme joys of parenthood. These achievements are moments of pride, but there are often feelings of sadness beneath the surface. If you feel like your child is moving on and moving away and you're struggling to cope, you may be dealing with empty nest syndrome. What is empty nest syndrome? Empty nest syndrome refers to the feelings [...]
Adulting 101: Understanding Failure-to-Launch and How to Overcome It
You've surely heard the stereotypes of recent and not-so-recent college graduates who move home, mooch off their parents' groceries and have little motivation to pursue a career. While the stereotypes can be comical, the reality of the situation has become so common that clinicians have developed language to describe this dilemma that faces parents and their older children. What is failure-to-launch? Failure-to-launch syndrome, while not a clinical diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, is a term commonly used to describe an adult who struggles to manage the transition to independent adulthood. Failure to launch syndrome tends [...]
Building Trust in a Counselor-Client Relationship
Research shows that the therapeutic alliance — the bond between therapist and client — is a strong predictor of how successful therapy will be. The stronger the therapeutic alliance, the more likely the client is to accomplish their therapy goals. However, in order to reach this level of success, a firm foundation of trust is essential. The importance of building trust It is understandable why a client would have hesitations when approaching counseling. The topics that people attend counseling to address are often those of a vulnerable nature, perhaps even causing shame or embarrassment in the individual. Clients may additionally [...]
Howdy Partner! Counseling is a Partnership
The relationship a person has with a therapist or counselor is often called the "therapeutic alliance." This bond of trust and growth is the key to successful healing and effective practice. If you're a counselor, social worker, therapist or other mental health specialist, here's what you need to know about the partnership within counseling relationships. What is the therapeutic alliance? The relationship between a mental health care expert and a client is called the therapeutic relationship, or therapeutic alliance. This relationship can be appropriate, professional and useful resulting in a positive experience for the client. The relationship can also be [...]
