Is it normal to grieve a pet this intensely?
Yes. For many people, pets are family — daily companions, emotional anchors, witnesses to chapters of your life that human relationships weren't part of. Research consistently shows pet loss grief can be as intense as, and sometimes more intense than, [read more]
I had a “normal” childhood — could this still apply to me?
Yes — and it's one of the most common things clients say. Many adult children of dysfunctional families were taught that their family was fine, normal, even better than average. The pattern often isn't recognized until adulthood, when the same [read more]
Do I have to confront my family or cut them off to do this work?
No. The work is fundamentally about your own healing, not changing your family. Some clients eventually decide to change how they engage with certain family members, but that's a personal decision that emerges over time — not a prerequisite. We [read more]
How do I know if I’m an adult child of a dysfunctional family?
Common patterns include perfectionism, hypervigilance, difficulty trusting your own perceptions, chronic guilt, fear of taking up space, struggling to identify what you feel or want, people-pleasing, and a sense that you have to earn love. Many also struggle to feel [read more]
What does “dysfunctional family” actually mean?
A broad term covering families where one or more dynamics interfered with children's emotional needs being consistently met. That can include addiction, untreated mental illness, narcissistic or controlling parents, emotional neglect, enmeshment, role reversal, or chronic invalidation. Families don't have [read more]
I’m single right now — can therapy still help with this?
Absolutely. In some ways, working on attachment patterns when you're single can be especially valuable. There's no current partner's behavior to react to, and more space to focus on the patterns themselves. Many clients find this work between relationships changes [read more]
Is anxious attachment the same as codependency?
They overlap but aren't identical. Codependency is more about over-functioning in relationships — managing others' emotions, sacrificing your needs, building identity around being needed. Anxious attachment is more about the fear of disconnection itself: chronic uncertainty about whether you're safe [read more]
How do I know if I have anxious attachment?
Common signs: feeling panicky when a partner pulls back, mentally drafting and redrafting texts, scanning for signs of rejection, struggling to feel calm in a relationship even when things are objectively going well, repeatedly attracting emotionally unavailable people, or feeling [read more]
Can attachment style actually change?
Yes — though it takes time. Attachment patterns aren't fixed personality traits; they're learned responses to early experiences. Therapy that addresses the patterns, your nervous system, and the experience of a safe therapeutic relationship can build what researchers call "earned [read more]
What is anxious attachment?
A relational pattern, usually formed early in life, where closeness feels uncertain and fragile. Adults with anxious attachment often crave deep connection but live with chronic worry about being too much, not enough, or about to be abandoned. It can [read more]
