Do you have what it takes to survive the holidays with your step-family and in-laws?
The holiday season is a fun filled time for families to celebrate being together and sharing traditions with one another. The Christmas lights, carolers and smell of ham cooking in the kitchen is enough to send anyone into a blissful holiday euphoria. Watching children open their presents while cookies bake in the oven is a scene set for happiness and joy. With family packed around the table, we can see all of our wonderful blessings right in front of us. However, sometimes those wonderful blessings may not be getting along with each other as well as you had hoped.
Introducing family members to each other for the first time is always stressful. Throw in the holiday season and you have a recipe for disaster. Managing to keep everyone happy and stress-free could results in a full on meltdown for the happy host. Are you equipped to navigate sharing the holidays with parents, in-laws, and step-families, turning the chaotic holiday gathering into the loving family picture you had hoped for?
Dr. Katrina Kuzyszyn-Jones is owner of KKJ Forensic and Psychological Services in Durham, North Carolina. Katrina has worked with many families during the separation and divorce process and understands the many challenges facing committed couples. She has worked with individuals and couples dealing with issues of infidelity, retirement, and even becoming new parents. Dr. Jones has experience in private practice, community mental health and the criminal justice system.
To find out more about Dr. Katrina Kuzyszyn-Jones and her practice, KKJ Forensic and Psychological Services, you can visit their website or call (919) 493-1975 for an appointment.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Is your marriage strong enough to survive holiday stress?
In a perfect world, the holiday season is a time of celebration, family togetherness, and making memories that will last a lifetime. However, back in the real world, the “holiday season” is a two-month marathon testing the emotional, physical, and mental endurance of a marriage. Between the various family gatherings, dealing with in-laws, and trying to find the perfect gift for the ones you love, stress is available in abundance during the holidays. Even though the list of priorities keeps getting longer, the days are getting shorter and it’s only a matter of time before the perfect storm that’s been brewing is finally unleashed. Is your relationship strong enough to weather the holiday storm or will it fall to pieces under the weight of all that holiday stress?
Dr. Theresa Lewis is a licensed Psychologist with Lewis Consulting Services in Raleigh, North Carolina. Dr. Lewis earned her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Florida. Dr. Lewis is a Parenting Coordinator, conducting parenting classes for separated and divorced parents, as well as assisting separated parents to develop effective co-parenting skills and parenting plans.
To find out more about Dr. Theresa Lewis and her practice, Lewis Consulting Services, you can visit their website or call (919) 622-1303 for an appointment.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Does your spouse have what it takes to fulfill your every wish and desire?
While some things in life are considered essential, like food, water and shelter. Are you able to separate relationship wants v needs? As human beings, our unwavering desire for ‘more’ transforms what we need to survive into all the things we want to have instead. Is your partner able to identify and provide those items you consider essential to your relationship survival? What about the extra benefits you crave? Can an ambitious appetite for all the luxuries that come with love overwhelm the basics deemed essential to the success of a relationship?
Rachel Payne Blair is a licensed clinical social worker with Greenlee Psychological and Support Services in Durham, North Carolina where she provides therapy for families, couples, and individuals and also provides clinical supervision for Master Level students. Earning both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Social Work, Rachel has applied her skills in the field of foster care, school counseling, as well as volunteering her time to assist in local homeless youth programs. Rachel has extensive training and experience in a wide range of areas, including coping with separation and attachment loss, repairing and reconnecting relationships, as well as couples counseling.
To find out more about Rachel Payne Blair and her practice, Greenlee Psychological and Support Services, you can visit their website or call (919) 764-6402 for an appointment.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
