Coming Out as LGBTQ+: Navigating Relationships with Grace and Preparation
June was LGBTQ+ Pride month, a time to celebrate the diverse ways people live and love. It is also a time when many people choose to acknowledge, own, and even embrace their own LGBTQ+ identity. When this happens to a person in a committed relationship, particularly one with children, this journey involves speaking truth to loved ones who have a vision and expectations that may be disrupted by the information. It requires courage, sensitivity, and thoughtful planning. Read more for some essential steps to consider:
Topics: LGBTQ, Mental Health
Coping With Grief When the Family Composition Changes
As with all things, family life inevitably includes change. Whether it's through separation, custodial changes, divorce, or the loss of a loved one, navigating loss and grief can be a daunting journey.
Topics: Child Custody, Mental Health, Parenting
Surviving the Sandwich Generation
In Episode 18 of the Family Matters With ReeseLaw podcast, How Do I Care for My Parents and Children, Kate Reese spoke with Jennifer Folsom, author of The Ringmaster: Work, Life, and Keeping it All Together, about her experience with this issue. Their conversation touched on some important ways to manage the additional responsibilities that come with being in the Sandwich Generation.
Topics: Mental Health, Parenting
Changes That Come With Remarriage
A divorce does not always mean that the relationship doesn’t continue to impact the lives of the former spouses. If there are children, then issues of custody and support may require continued communication. In some cases, one spouse is awarded spousal support, which may create an additional basis for interaction. When one of the parties moves on to a new romantic partnership, there can be significant changes to the status quo. While this should not be the basis for deciding whether to start a new relationship or consider remarriage, it is essential to understand some of the possible consequences.
Topics: Mental Health, Parenting, PrenuptialsManaging the Custody and Support During Summer Break
When school lets out, the regular schedule for the kids goes out the window, and managing their summer schedule presents a co-parenting challenge. Camps, playdates, vacations, and even day-to-day childcare all require planning and often have an associated expense. While some custodial arrangements will go into detail about how to handle the basics of summer break, it is unlikely that every eventuality will be covered. Here are some tips for avoiding conflict in the dog days of summer.
Topics: Child Custody, Child Support, Mental Health, ParentingCo-parenting A Special Needs Child
Children can bring out the best and worst in parents, and when that child has special needs, it can be a struggle to address those needs unless the parents are aligned. A change in the family system should not interfere with the care of a child, but in the real world, this can be a challenge that many families face,
Topics: Child Custody, Child Support, Mental Health, ParentingPlanning for Tough Conversations
When a family dynamic is heading for a change, communicating about what is happening can be difficult and stressful for all involved. In the latest episode of the podcast Family Matters With Reese Law, Kate had an enlightening conversation with Jennifer Dalton, the founder, and CEO of BrandMirror, and author of the book Listen: How to Embrace the Difficult Conversations Life Throws at You. They talked about the important findings in the book and some of Kate's insights from 25 years as a Family Law attorney, and they shared best practices for planning, holding, and surviving the most challenging conversations.
Topics: Mediation, Mental HealthDe-Escalating Conflict Between Parents and Teens by Bethany Bray
It's natural for adolescent development and parent-child conflict to go hand in hand. Le-Ann Solmonson, a licensed professional counselor (LPC) who owns a private practice in Nacogdoches, Texas, has worked with children and adolescents in school and clinical settings throughout her career. Time and time again, she's seen families fall into a pattern as children reach adolescence: The youth wants more autonomy - a normal aspect of adolescent development - and begins to push against their parent's rules and boundaries. In response, the parents tighten their control or inflict punishment, only to have the adolescent push back harder, break more rules and chafe against their parents' preferences. Thus begins a repeating spiral of friction, frustration and misunderstanding - on the part of both the teenager and the parents.
Topics: Child Custody, Mental Health, ParentingThe Essentials of Emotional Intelligence
As Family Law practitioners, we see people at an incredibly emotional and transitional time. We need to understand what is going on with our clients, offer appropriate support, and be able to take care of ourselves as well. In the latest episode of Family Law Matters, Kate Reese and Christal Benton, both attorneys with the firm who happen to have Master's degrees in the counseling field, engaged in a lively exchange about emotional intelligence that covered some important aspects of this important skill to develop for ourselves and in relation to others.
Topics: Mental HealthNavigating the Holidays for the Sandwich Generation
The "sandwich generation" refers to adults who are caring for aging parents and minor children at the same time. According to the Pew Research Center, as of 2022, 23% of separated or divorced spouses are part of the sandwich generation. For them, planning and celebrating holidays can have an extra layer of challenge, particularly for people who share custody of their children. Fostering togetherness and honoring the traditions associated with the holidays can feel overwhelming, with two generations of family needing support and attention. Here are some tips for navigating the complex family dynamics and demands while still celebrating the holidays.
Topics: Mental Health, ParentingAfter the Separation: Tips for Making a Healthy New Family Unit
When parents split up, children are forced out of the lives they know into unknown territory. No matter the level of acrimony, this transition is difficult, and often traumatic. While each family is different, and many factors can impact how children survive and thrive with this major change, parents can take some specific steps to ease the kids into a new normal.
Topics: Child Custody, Mental Health, Parenting5 Keys to an Effective Conversation
In Episode 14 of our podcast, Kate talks with Dr. Kevin Miller. Dr. Miller provides therapy to adults of all ages. He also has extensive experience addressing relationship difficulties, including marital, dating, family, and workplace relationships. He uses an integrative therapeutic style, incorporating existential psychology. We are going to be discussing How to Start the Conversation with your Spouse to Avoid Divorce.
Topics: Mental Health, ParentingFour Tips When it is Two Homes for the Holidays
When custody is shared between two households, the holidays can be a challenge. As a time traditionally spent with family, it can be difficult when the children can only be one place at a time. Over the decades that we’ve worked in family law in Northern Virginia, we’ve learned that this can turn joy into stress for the parents and the children. In our latest podcast, we discuss the issue, and we identify four ways to help minimize difficulties.
Topics: Child Custody, Mental Health, ParentingSelf-Care During Divorce
When a family dynamic goes sour, it impacts everyone's mental health. When taking steps to resolve the conflict, an often overlooked yet critical focus needs to be self-care. In the latest Family Matters podcast, Kate Reese had the chance to speak to Alexandra Herrera, MA-ATR, LPC, about this topic. They looked at why self-care is so essential, signs and symptoms to look out for, and some helpful self-care techniques that everyone should practice.
Topics: Mental HealthMental Health Considerations & the Dissolution of a Family
May is Mental Health Awareness month, and there’s little doubt that changes in a family’s structure presents a mental health challenge to everyone impacted.
Topics: Mental Health, ParentingThe Importance of a Co-Parenting Agreement
When a married couple decide to divorce, the children are a major consideration since they play such an important part of their lives. Even unmarried parents who go through a split will need to make some plans.
Topics: Child Custody, Child Support, Mental Health, ParentingHandling the Stress of Family Transitions
When it comes to life's biggest stressors, the majority involve transitions within the family. Change within this unit creates uncertainty that is both a challenge and an opportunity.
Topics: Mental Health, ParentingMarriage Story
If you are a fan of Netflix, or if you watched the Oscars this year, you are familiar with Marriage Story. I stumbled across this movie shortly after it came out and decided to watch it, not knowing anything about the movie or what to expect.
Topics: Divorce Law, Mental HealthBeing A Love With Someone
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and it's a good time to think about love. Rather than contemplate the joys of being "in" love, why not consider being "a" love with someone? Being in love is a wonderful, intense sensation - but that- is all it is: a sensation. It is a chemical reaction that lasts 7-17 months, and the end can be a real let down. Being a love means being a partner in life, someone who is a source of support, growth and affection. Being a love "with" someone means finding the person or persons who return what you give in equal amounts.
Topics: Mental Health, ParentingSome Questions About Invisible Divorce
Is your marriage suffering from an invisible divorce? Couples can reach a point in their relationship where they have grown so far apart that, without being acknowledged, the marriage has failed. Rather than take proactive steps to resolve this in-between state, couples can go for years, trapped in a situation that no longer fulfills the basic expectations of a marriage.
Topics: Divorce Law, Mental HealthBreaking Up is Hard to Do. Don't Do It Alone.
We understand that when a family breaks it's not a two-dimensional, flat situation, it's multi-dimensional, it's complicated.
Topics: Mental Health13 Things You Must Know if You Are Divorcing a Narcissist
Most people, understandably, will do almost anything to avoid going to court for any number of reasons, including the financial cost, the loss of privacy, the inevitable calcification of antagonism between you and someone you married, the pain it causes children and other family members, and the fear of putting your life in the hands of a complete stranger, sitting on a bench at the front of a courtroom. (Not to mention all those movies "Kramer vs. Kramer, The War of the Roses, The Squid and the Whale" that act as cautionary tales, the horror stories bounced around the Internet, and those of people you know.)
Topics: Divorce Law, Mental HealthTips for Dealing with Divorce Stress
Divorce is an extremely stressful time, especially when there are children involved. The best thing you can do is to take extra special care of yourself. This will of course not only benefit you but also your kids. They will feel a lot more relaxed if they see that you are relaxed and in good spirits. Here are a couple of things you can do to help minimize your stress and help you cope.
Topics: Divorce Law, Mental Health
