Common Issues
Children
Are you worried about your child's behavior or emotional well-being?
- Is your son or daughter having difficulty getting over a divorce, perhaps saying that he or she hates you and wants to live with the other parent?
- Does your child struggle with ADHD/ADD, behavior issues, anxiety, depression, grief, or bullying?
- Do teachers regularly call to report your child’s poor grades, attention-seeking behavior or inability to get along with peers?
- Have your child’s tantrums become so dramatic that you’ve started to feel helpless and defeated?
- Do you worry that parents, teachers or even strangers on the street are judging you because of your child’s behavior?
- Does your child display a level of aggression that shocks you?
- Does your child claim to hate him or herself, perhaps even threatening to commit acts of self-harm?
- Do you wish you knew how to connect with and help your child, but fear that it may be too late to establish healthy boundaries?
Seeing your child struggle emotionally and socially can be upsetting and frustrating. And, it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether what your child is experiencing is a phase that he or she will grow out of or if something more serious is occurring. Perhaps you have been noticing worrisome personality changes in your child. They may be defiant, obstinate and withdrawn, or they may be acting in ways that are aggressive or shocking. There may be regular fighting and yelling. You may be receiving reports from the school regarding your child's disruptive behavior. At some point, your child may start to engage in negative self-talk.
While you may sometimes feel hopeless, it’s important to remember that your child is still developing. There’s still a lot of room for change. Everyday your child is learning new social, academic and emotional skills. However, some behavioral problems are more than just growing pains. If your child is struggling to cope with a recent divorce or death in the family, if you are feeling helpless, hopeless and defeated as a parent, or if your son or daughter is lashing out with aggression, it may be time to seek the advice of a professional. Thankfully, Cedar Ridge can provide your family with the support it needs.
Families
Is family conflict tearing your family apart?
- Do you constantly fight, argue, and bicker with your co-parent regarding the proper way to raise your children?
- Is a child’s difficult behavior creating chaos for everyone in your household?
- Do you feel forced to choose between being a friend or authority figure to your teenage children?
- Has a recent divorce made it difficult to create a co-parenting plan with your ex?
- Do you long for a peaceful, harmonious household in which everyone gets along, but fear your situation is beyond repair?
- Are you a member of a blended family, struggling to get both sides to mesh together?
Constant fighting and bickering in your family can make it seem as though offering your children a stable, nurturing environment is out of reach. Perhaps you struggle to maintain peace in your household, especially if you find that you’re devoting a lot of time and energy to managing difficult behaviors from your child. Stressful experiences like these aren’t just limited to parents with young children. A rebellious teenager can also lead you to feel as though you’ve lost control as a parent. Perhaps you have noticed moody, melancholic or angry behavior from your teen that has caused you to become concerned. You may worry that your teen is experimenting with drugs, alcohol, vandalism, shoplifting or sex. As if that weren’t enough, you and your co-parent may struggle to see eye-to-eye when it comes to raising your children. If you and your co-parent are divorced, communication regarding your children may be particularly difficult.
When dealing with stressful family issues, it’s not uncommon to feel powerless, helpless, angry, hurt, and emotionally drained. You may worry about the impact family conflict is having on your future relationships and desperately hope to restore peace and harmony in your household. Almost all families experience conflict as they negotiate the difficult path of living and loving together - you are not alone. Having some conflict within your family may be expected, however there are times when it can be helpful to draw from third party guidance and support in a safe place.
Couples/Parents
Do you feel stuck in negative patterns in your relationship or marriage?
- Are conflicts between you and your partner growing increasingly hostile?
- Do you and your partner have fundamental differences of opinion regarding things like parenting, finances, and in-laws?
- Do you often feel hurt, belittled and ashamed in your relationship?
- Do you fear that you might have chosen the wrong partner?
- Do you long to rekindle love, admiration and mutual respect in your relationship or marriage, but fear that it’s too late to repair the bond between you and your partner?
When you’re struggling in your relationship, you may feel lonely, confused and misunderstood. Although your relationship might have seemed blissful and effortless in the beginning, it may have gradually degraded into escalating conflict. Perhaps you and your partner constantly argue, fight and bicker and often walk away from confrontations feeling hurt and misunderstood. These arguments can be about seemingly trivial things, but they can also include longstanding disagreements about finances, parenting and infidelity. Perhaps you walk on eggshells around your partner, fearing that you might say or do something wrong that will result in a fight. As a result, you might feel lonely and disconnected from your partner and fear that he or she no longer loves you.
In a relationship, each partner brings to the table a unique set of experiences, values, personality traits and cultural backgrounds. These differences can cause you to clash with your partner, and you may start to argue about fundamental lifestyle choices, such as the proper way to raise your children, the best way to manage your finances or the relative level of autonomy and closeness you want to experience in the relationship.
Couples counseling can help you identify the emotions and the unfulfilled needs, wants and desires that may be driving the discord in your relationship or marriage. With the help of a counselor, you and your partner can express your emotions and speak without fearing blame or criticism.
Individual
- Are you struggling with the symptoms of anxiety or depression and are looking for answers and relief?
- Do you feel stuck in life or powerless to achieve your dreams?
- Do negative thoughts, feelings or perceptions make it difficult to cultivate healthy relationships or perform well in your career?
- Has a recent life transition caused you to feel withdrawn, fearful or uncertain?
- Do you long to create positive change in your adult life, but feel paralyzed by fear of the unknown?
There are times when we all struggle to feel good about life. Perhaps you’re going through a period in which you are experiencing feelings of loss, sadness, anger, or regret that seem to have no end. These emotions might have been brought on by a number of things, including anxiety, depression or family conflict. Similarly, if you are struggling through a difficult life transition, grieving a death or divorce or experiencing difficulty in your relationships, you may feel overwhelmed and powerlessness to effect positive change. It may seem as though you are no longer in control of your life’s direction, especially if you are unable to move past negative patterns in your life.
When you are not feeling like yourself, and struggling with personal issues, you are not reaching your full potential and being your best self. Let us help you work through your struggles and get back to the you that YOU know.
"When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that the happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I wrote down 'happy!' They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life."
-John Lennon