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.
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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.
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Is it possible to have a romantic vacation while also making the most of family time?
Perhaps you and your spouse are wanting to take a family vacation. But maybe you’re fearing that your kids with be antsy and bored, and that you and your partner won’t have any time for romance and fun. So what do you do with this dilemma?
Sometimes couples find themselves having completely kid-focused vacations in order to meet the “family togetherness” needs, but they don’t get a chance to pay attention to the marriage during the time off from work and away from home. Or maybe a couple might plan a romantic getaway without the kids because they find it difficult to work on romance with the children around. Either way, someone (…like your child) or something (…like the romance in your marriage) ends up left out of the mix.
According to today’s guest, Erica Blystone– a licensed clinical social worker with Lepage Associates— there are ways to have your cake and eat it too. You, in fact, can go on a family vacation and work on rekindling the romance in your marriage at the same time, and Erica is here to discuss how and give our listeners some pointers.
To find out more about Erica and her practice, visit their website or call (919) 572-0000 to schedule an appointment.
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