East Bay Family Therapy

Individuals

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Paralyzing guilt? Anger enough to blow up your family if you don’t keep it contained? Yoked to perfectionism that never lets you rest? Fear that keeps building?

Let’s get these spoken out loud, so we can see how they got in, and how keep themselves around. Then we can work on how stand up to their bullying.

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Teens

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Raising teens can be a real pain. And there is nothing scarier to parents than having a chunk of your hearts running around freely in the body of your children.

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I’ll work with your teen about gaining independence in a respectful manner. With some teens, that looks like aiming their sense of justice at an unjust society, not aiming it at the utter unfairness of taking out the trash. We might talk about heartache, not fitting in, overpowering emotions, sex and gender. We might talk about grades, and disappointment, and the world telling them they are stupid or not wanted. Then we will talk about how to firmly stand against these demands that they fit in. For example, might talk about getting off social media and going to bed, not because your parents are making you, but because it is the right thing for them to do.

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Couples

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Angry at your partner? Hurt by your partner? Disappointed in yourself as a partner?

Let’s get to talking. Let’s bring hurt and disappointment into the open; talk about how you have each let the other down. Then we can ask what do the two of you want, and what might the relationship itself want. Then we start putting these goals into practice so that your partner begins to feel the love you have for them, and they encourage you to feel the love they have for you.

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Families

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In family therapy, we talk about relationships between members. We will look at how problems get between family members and push them apart. We’ll look at how one bad behavior invites more bad behavior from others. Once we’ve got a good look at how the problems operate, we’ll move towards interrupting downward spirals and replacing them with love, kindness and respect. We’ll talk about how a family can support one member who isn’t doing well.