Specialty
Family Conflict & Adult Children
Conflict between parents and their adult children is often painful in a particular way — it doesn't resolve simply because everyone involved is now grown. Estrangement, ongoing tension, unmet expectations on both sides, or a relationship that feels stuck in old patterns: this is difficult, often quiet, and often carried alone.
A family systems lens
With ten years teaching graduate-level family systems theory, I look at this kind of conflict as more than a disagreement between two people — it usually reflects patterns that have been present across the family for a long time, sometimes across generations. Understanding that pattern is often what makes change possible, even when the conflict itself feels intractable.
How I work with this
I work with individuals navigating a difficult relationship with a parent or adult child, and with family members together when joint sessions are appropriate and both people are willing. Not every relationship fully resolves, but clients consistently find real clarity, and often real peace, regardless of what the other person does.