January/February 2022

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Editor's Note

Livia Kent

How have we come to a place where fully a quarter of Americans aren’t merely disgruntled with family members, but are distressed enough to actually cut them off? What’s the emotional fallout of these fractures, both for those who initiate them and for the rest of the family? And how can therapists best navigate this relational minefield and avoid missteps that could widen an existing fissure?
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A circle of chairs

Whatever Happened to Family Therapy?

Today's Renaissance in Systems Thinking

Peter Fraenkel

In their rush to change family systems—if not the world—family therapists didn’t anticipate that they too would be affected by structural forces. Read More
A woman in a car gestures with agitation

Love, Separation, and Power

Resolving a Mother–Daughter Conflict

Julia Samuel

The power that parents have to influence the wellbeing of their adult children is often underestimated. Read More
An illustration of a family photo ripped down the middle

When Therapists Encourage Family Cutoffs

Are We Helping or Harming?

Joshua Coleman

Today’s culture of therapy both reflects and contributes to our nation’s ever-growing embrace of individualism—for better and, sometimes, for worse. Read More
Two sisters arguing

When Adult Siblings Struggle

Three Steps Toward Repair

David Treadway

The session was supposed to be a cons Read More
A man looks despondent as his father looks at him

Estrangement 101

Helping Parents Reengage Their Kids

Lori Gottlieb

Helping parents process their own childhood pain is a difficult but necessary part of helping them reconnect with an estranged child. Read More
An illustration of two people on opposite sides of a chasm with one holding a ladder

Mediating Estrangement

How to Help Family Members Coexist

Mary Jo Barrett

After journeying through the Family Dialogue process, estranged family members often end up adjusting the very notion of what togetherness means. Read More
Jem and Scout in the movie of "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Life Without Atticus

When Siblings Parent Each Other

Amanda Ann Gregory

Children need an adult who provides safety, attunement, empathy, acceptance, and boundaries. Can a sibling be the next best thing? Read More

Extra Feature

Mary Lambert, the triple-platinum–selling artist quoted in this article, at the 2019 RaiseAChild Honors Concert Benefit in Hollywood, California

Unlearning Weight Stigma

The Latest Science on Weight and Trauma

Judith Matz

It's time to untangle weight gain and binge eating from trauma. Read More

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