One person is chosen to bear the brunt of any psychological discomfort experienced by the family as a whole. —Sarah Swenson, MA, LMHC Are you the scapegoat in your family? So, this blog post is long overdue. I have often tweeted about scapegoating, but I think it warrants a blog post since so many people […]
Children of emotionally unreliable mothers who may appear caring one moment and then unavailable the next—leaving the child in a quandary about whether the Good Mommy or the Bad one will show up— also pull back at the first sign of discord. These children use withdrawal as a way of self-protection and grow up to […]
In troubled families, abuse and neglect are permitted; it’s the talking about them that is forbidden. —unknown Children’s Roles in Dysfunctional Families For some of you that are reading this who do not know me, I will start out by saying I am not a therapist or psychologist. What I am, is a researcher. I […]
Mental health outcomes are not good from being bullied in childhood. Studies now validate it.
Farrah asked me what sending the letter did for me. I told her that, first, I felt I had finally stood up to my brother and ended the secrets. And second, I wanted to see if my mother would finally do what a mother should. Protect me. I found out my answers. I had to […]