Family Counseling Archives | Rowlett Christian Counseling

Gift-Giving within a Blended Family

Gift-Giving within a Blended Family

Stephanie Kramer2024-10-18T13:49:00+00:00October 14th, 2024|Family Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Gift-giving during the holidays can be particularly challenging in a blended family. With varying established traditions and expectations from different households, children can become confused and receive mixed signals. Assumptions regarding established family customs may lead to potential misunderstandings. Here are some ways to help you keep your holiday season merry, bright, and drama-free. Communication is key in gift giving To avoid potential conflicts and ensure that everyone feels appreciated, establish clear communication with your partner and the exes involved regarding gift-giving budgets and expectations. Agree upon a reasonable spending limit for each child and discuss appropriate gifts, ensuring that no one feels overlooked. Start the conversation early so you have time to decide on the proper gifts well in advance to avoid any last-minute scramble. Coordinate with your ex to prevent duplicate gifts. Many families choose to give joint gifts to children from both parents and stepparents, with separate gifts given by the other parent and their partner. If there is a particular gift that you both want to give to your child, consider giving it jointly and sharing the expense. Some families cap the number of gifts each person receives or a budget they must stay within when purchasing gifts. Be mindful that your traditions and expectations might vary from that of your new family members. It’s best to have open communication about these expectations and decide early on how to approach gift-giving in the structure of your new family dynamics. Involve the children in gift giving Involve the children in the gift-giving process by encouraging them to create their gifts or choose gifts for each other. This will develop a sense of unity and allow them to express their understanding of each other’s interests. Personalized gifts, such as handmade crafts or thoughtful notes can carry more [...]

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The Benefits of Post-Adoption Counseling

The Benefits of Post-Adoption Counseling

Kate Motaung2024-10-29T11:24:25+00:00July 31st, 2024|Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured, Relationship Issues|

Welcoming a new child into a family changes that family irrevocably, in amazing and often unforeseen ways. It’s a big decision and likely one of the most important decisions you will ever make. By the time your adopted child is officially home, you’ve filled out countless forms, had many meetings with the adoption agency, and are more than eager to start your journey as a family, so post-adoption counseling is probably furthest from your mind. Parenting, whether by adoption or otherwise, is a lifelong commitment with unique challenges that need to be overcome creatively. Every family’s adoption journey is unique, but finding post-adoption support can help you thrive as a family. That could be in the form of an adoption support group, as well as podcasts and other online resources that can help you with tips. Likewise, an adoptive family can make use of individual therapeutic counseling. Post-adoption counseling: The basics A family that’s adopted or is still considering adopting can approach a counselor with expertise and experience in family counseling services which deal particularly with adopted children. Whether your adoptive children are older or young, there are therapeutic approaches that are appropriate to different age groups, and your counselor will know how best to work with them. Your counselor may meet with the parents alone, the child alone, or the family as a whole, depending on the circumstances. The sessions would be for around an hour, and there may be several sessions depending on what is being addressed. Counseling aims to address common issues that arise in adoptive families, including understanding how to build a cohesive family and effectively parent in a loving way. Benefits of family post-adoption counseling After you’ve adopted, the journey has just begun. It can be daunting to begin the day-to-day task of parenting [...]

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3 Coping Mechanisms for Children with ADHD

3 Coping Mechanisms for Children with ADHD

Michelle Lazurek2024-09-27T10:55:10+00:00July 11th, 2024|ADHD/ADD, Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured|

If you’re a parent with a child who’s been recently diagnosed with ADHD, it can feel overwhelming to learn how to help a child cope with everyday life. ADHD impacts every area of a child’s life. From completing homework assignments to interacting with their peers, ADHD is a disorder that affects a child’s mental and emotional health as well as their relationships. 3 Coping Mechanisms for Children with ADHD Are you struggling to know how to help your child perform better in school or at home? Here are three coping mechanisms for children with ADHD: 1. Break things down One of the symptoms of ADHD is that they become easily overwhelmed. They begin their school day or homework intending to complete it on time, only to go down a rabbit hole of phone time or other distractions that make it nearly impossible for them to complete their homework. Additionally, a child can complete his or her homework, only to leave it in their backpack the next day and never turn it in to their teacher. This can cause a student to get failing grades even when the work has been done and is correct. The best way to cope with this is to break things down into chunks. When the child comes home, ask them if they have homework. If they say no, check their backpack. If they do have homework, encourage them to complete their homework before any other fun activities – including sports – are completed. Set the example that work needs to be completed first before anything else. If a child has more than one or two homework assignments, help them prioritize by asking them to complete the hardest one first. For example, if your child struggles in Math, you can ask them to finish the [...]

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Scripture and the Soul Compass: Navigate Your Spiritual Development Journey With God’s Word

Scripture and the Soul Compass: Navigate Your Spiritual Development Journey With God’s Word

Kate Motaung2024-10-29T11:22:08+00:00June 29th, 2024|Couples Counseling, Family Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling, Spiritual Development|

Modern advancements in almost every arena contrast what emerged as cutting-edge just years ago. God is a brilliant thinker and He created us in His Image, also with the cognitive capacity to imagine and invent. Even as everything in our world hastens at the speed of innovation, our Creator and Father whose genius orchestrates the universe, remains the same. He is not predictable, but rather constant in character. Faithfully, He keeps the covenant established with us, His chosen and called daughters and sons. What society calls truth is ever-changing. It may not be surprising, but where our world destabilizes, tilting from one extreme to the next, only the Word of God anchors us in absolute Truth. More than an assortment of facts, the Truth is the comprehensive revelation of who Jesus is and the Word that the Father speaks. The chaos and cacophony of multiple voices bring confusion amongst personal and relative truths that vie for our attention. Yet, Jesus always beckons, welcoming us to enter rest where we rely on His consistency, clarity, and compassion to be the compass that navigates our way Home. As the Truth, God’s Word is faithful to inform our desires, decisions, and dreams. The light of Scripture will locate us and divulge where we are, but it will not leave us in dark or low places. More than a collection of words in black and red on a page or an electronic screen, the Word of God is the Person of Jesus Christ (John 1:14). We not only read about our Savior, but to a greater degree, He reads us. He reveals where we are, the destination that He wants to take us, and the direction in which He wants to lead. The Word Divides The Word divides the soul from the spirit [...]

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How to Make Sure Your Teen is Getting Adequate Rest for Mental Wellness

How to Make Sure Your Teen is Getting Adequate Rest for Mental Wellness

Kate Motaung2024-10-29T11:23:08+00:00August 29th, 2023|Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured|

When your child was younger, you may have paid a lot of attention to his or her sleep habits, making sure he or she got to bed on time, creating nighttime routines, scheduling naps, and got adequate rest. Now that your child is a teen, setting these parameters is more challenging because he or she is becoming more independent. It is thought by many teens that sleep is not important. Adults even disregard the need for sleep for their teens as teens stay up later at night. Science has shown, however, that sleep has a big impact on how people feel and on their wellness. This is especially true for teens. How much sleep do teens need? While every person is different, adequate rest for teens is between 8-10 hours of sleep per night. This is in stark contrast to what most teens get. Studies show that over 70% of teens get less than the recommended amount of sleep. This lack of sleep can impact them in more ways than being tired. It can affect their schoolwork, relationships, and mental health. It can also make it hard to make decisions, impact memory, and increase the likelihood of truancy. Ways you can help your teen get adequate rest. While your teen does play a significant role in making sure he or she gets enough sleep, there are things you can do to help promote healthy sleep habits and overall wellness. Bedroom. Make sure that his or her bedroom is cool and dark at night. This will help your teen fall asleep and stay asleep. Create a routine. While the routine will look different from when he or she was younger, your teen can create a nightly routine before bed. Simple things like taking a warm shower or bath, reading, and [...]

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Identifying Family Problems and Finding Solutions

Identifying Family Problems and Finding Solutions

Cyndi Kay Green2024-09-27T10:52:55+00:00June 19th, 2023|Family Counseling, Featured, Relationship Issues|

It is no surprise that there are family problems. There is no perfection in the dynamics of a family because there are no perfect people. We all have issues and when we are growing and learning with others, there are bound to be problems. The good news is that there are ways to spot problems, create resolutions and restore balance to the home. The sooner the problem is identified, the quicker a family can work together to resolve the problem. Catching the problem before it creates an unhealthy home life takes communication and dedication. God designed the family to work together in creating a happy and healthy life. Most common family problems He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?). – 1 Timothy 3:4-5, NASB There are numerous forms and types of family problems. These are some of the most common types of problems that most family face. Poor communication. One of the top problems that families face involves the ability to communicate effectively. Whether you are the one wondering if you are being heard or the one who doesn’t understand what is being said the issue of communication can be challenging. Parenting style differences. When parents disagree on parenting styles it can affect the entire dynamic of the household. Even if you have been together for years, there is a possibility of disagreeing about how to raise a child. Parental pressures. Raising children with the pressures of today’s society is difficult for the children just as much as the parent. Children are faced with influence from social media, television, and peers. The last thing they need [...]

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