Dysfuntional Family

Did you grow up in a Dysfunctional Family and want something better for yourself as an adult?

Counseling and Somatic Therapy can help you feel better.

You may be feeling:

• Anxious
• Worried
• Depressed
• Low self esteem
• Isolated
• Critical of yourself
• Unable to be the loving parent you want to be

Growing up in a dysfunctional family is painful.

You may feel that your parents never saw you clearly.  Instead, they wanted you to be a certain way that may not have aligned with who you were. You may feel like one or both of your parents criticized you endlessly no matter how hard you tried to please them.   You may feel like you were never understood or loved. 

A parent may have been verbally, emotionally, and/or physically abusive. Or perhaps you were neglected.  Your parents may not have protected you from a sibling. Or perhaps you were asked to be a parent in your family and take care of your siblings.

These kinds of behaviors have a huge impact on children and can lead to low self-esteem so that now you may criticize yourself and question your own capacity.  You may have developed beliefs that your needs don't matter, that you have do everything yourself, or that you don't deserve to be cared for or that you have to be productive to be worthwhile. 

Working with a somatic therapist can help you feel better.

In counseling and somatic therapy you can heal the wounds of being criticized and unseen as a child.  You can learn to turn off the critical voices inside and begin to care for yourself in a compassionate way.   You can start to feel your own self worth so that you feel better and more confident in the world. 

If you are a parent, it can sometimes feel difficult to give your children the attention and love that you never received as a child. When you give attention to your children it may be a nagging reminder of what you never received. Nevertheless, you may be determined that your child is not raised in a dysfunctional family.  You can make this happen.

Call Kathy Grayson MFT at 510-595-5556 to set up a free 20 minute phone consultation.  Kathy Grayson sees clients from Berkeley, Oakland, Albany, and Alameda California.