Perspectives on Challenged Family Building

John and his father arrived for therapy. As we were walking down the hallway, Dad stated firmly, “Stop it!” A few seconds passed, and again Dad said sternly, “Stop it!” A bit confused, I asked what John was doing that was so upsetting. Dad replied, “It’s the way he’s breathing. I can’t stand it! He [...]

Mary, age 9  had been participating in therapy for eight months. She was adopted when she was 18-months-old. As a toddler she was prone to screaming for hours at bedtime. She just couldn’t settle into sleep until the wee hours of the morning. As she grew, the screaming fits occurred when told “no.” She habitually [...]

Welcome to Part Two of our post regarding helping children—who remain in the home—adjust when an adopted sibling/prospective brother or sister leaves the family via dissolution, disruption or displacement. Part One described these terms and Part One contained our first suggestions to help these brothers and sisters cope with the loss of their sibling.

This post will offer some [...]