Kellevision

Family Roles - Life Roles

The more I work with clients the more I see the importance family roles play throughout our entire lives and within every relationship we have.  We will replicate the roles we played in our families of origin in every relationship we have.  We do this over and over unless we actively recognize and work to change them.  And yes, they can be changed. 

Clients Have a Right to Make Their Own Mistakes

In working with caseworkers, social workers and therapists through the years I have seen so many who put so much energy into determining what the client "should" do.  They are heavily invested in controlling the client's behavior and in "helping" them avoid making mistakes. 

Self Regulation

I've begun to see a connection between clients who are struggling with self regulation and growing up in a very authoritarian families.  By "self regulation" I mean they have difficulty managing, or regulating, their emotions, behaviors, and impulses.  They may use drugs or alcohol to excess, overeat, break the law or spend money far beyond their means. 

Progress vs. Perfection

I am reminded once again of one of my favorite adages, "Progress not Perfection".  I tend to struggle with this myself, striving for a "perfect" goal rather than for making progress.  An example was when I started going to the gym. 

ADHD Overdiagnosed

It seems to me that more and more people are being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and/or ADHD, sometimes both at the same time.  I wrote about the overdiagnosing of Bipolar Disorder in another posting on this site.  But ADHD is facing the same issues.  A recent article in the Vancouver Sun explores the problem in Canada, but CNN reported on this as far back as 1999 with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writing about the problem in 1998.  Why is this important?