Sinead Cafferty

If family gatherings leave you a nervous wreck or arguments with a relative haunt you for days, there's a serious problem. When family relationships leave you feeling drained, anxious, or full of self-doubt, you can't go on like that — you have to do something about it. Here are some of the signs that therapy could be the key to managing a toxic family dynamic and putting your own well-being first, for once.

As parents, we all hope for a lifelong, loving relationship with our kids. But sadly, sometimes the parent-child bond breaks, and adult children choose to cut off contact. While every situation is complex and unique, certain behaviors can make this more likely to happen. Here are some major pitfalls to avoid if you want to preserve the bond you have with your not-so-little kids.

As we get older, our priorities and tastes naturally change. There are just some experiences we've outgrown, whether we admit it to ourselves or not. Here's a look at a few things it's perfectly okay to stop faking enthusiasm about — they're not all they're cracked up to be!

In the heat of anger, it's easy for words to slip out that we later regret. However, what we say to our children, especially when we're frustrated, can leave a lasting impact. Here are phrases to avoid to protect your bond and their emotional security.

It's natural to want to protect your child and make them happy, but sometimes your efforts to “help” them might actually be doing more harm than good. If you're worried you've crossed the line from supportive parent to enabler, here are 16 signs to look out for.

While the bond between parent and child is obviously foundational, grandparents play a special role in kids' lives. Sadly, not everyone experiences that warmth. Whether due to estrangement, death, or simply lack of a close connection – the impact of not having Grandma and Grandpa in your life growing up can be surprisingly deep and long-lasting.

Family estrangement is rarely black and white. While some parents are unequivocally abusive, and it's wise to cut ties, most situations are nuanced. However, estranged parents often fall into harmful patterns of thinking that prevent them from understanding their own role in the breakdown of the relationship, making amends almost impossible.

Betrayal is incredibly painful. Whether you're the betrayed, the cheater, or caught in the fallout of someone else's affair, cheating rarely has the simple explanations we crave. It's easy to form strong opinions, but the truth is often far more complex than pop culture makes it seem. Here are some of the most common misconceptions.

The effects of childhood trauma can be devastating. Childhood emotional neglect (CEN) is a seriously under-discussed form of trauma.

“Unloving” is a spectrum – it doesn't always look like outright abuse. It might be subtle neglect, emotional unavailability, or constant criticism thinly veiled as concern.