Helping Families with Disconnection
I’m a specialist in family estrangement, family trauma and family communication.
I'm here to help you and your family successfully transform through periods of disconnection and estrangement.
I am a Certified Clini-Coach and licensed psychotherapist.
Navigating the Trauma of Estrangement
Let’s visualize the family structure as a group of trees in a forest. Each tree is distinctly an individual. Some have robust branches of foliage basking in sunlight, while others thrive as saplings sheltered by shade. Some stand firm on thick trunks, while others sway in the breeze.
A traumatic event, such as a fire, an earthquake, a logger’s saw, or a hurricane, can affect and even topple this entire grove, leaving a broken pile of thick, fallen pick-up sticks in its wake. One trauma affects the whole group, leaving them broken and entangled. This is what happens to a family system when the trauma of estrangement attacks.
The entire family is impacted. The whole family needs healing, picking up, attention, and reconstruction. Just as you cannot clean up a pile of downed trees by attending to only one, a traumatized family cannot be repaired by paying attention to only one relationship.
The sweeping damage the trauma does to family relationships takes time and energy to repair. Oftentimes it feels easier to separate and walk away from the whole messy mess.
Emotional work takes commitment, energy and perseverance, which can result in healing and reconciliation.
Family is a Journey
Family estrangement hurts. Whether the issues are in the past or the present, or both, it can be hard to know where to seek support.
Many find it isolating and shameful to admit that their family unit needs support to keep the thread of togetherness. The reality is families are no different than other relationships and benefit greatly from external support that offers insight, understanding and new skills.
There is a Path Forward
Why me? For many years I have been a trauma therapist working with individuals, couples and families. My own personal experience of family estrangement drew me to create a new specialist practice for individuals and families who are struggling to communicate and repair their rifts. I understand the personal and collective grief that estrangement can bring to a family and how to help all parties move forward with confidence and trust.
New clients usually come heartbroken, confused, frustrated and hurt. Let me help you experience balance and peace once more within your heart and your family system.
Testimonials
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Family estrangement is somewhere I never thought I would be, but as this has been an issue in my family, I am thankful I was able to talk to Karen and get a much healthier perspective. We all have expectations on how things will go, and when they don’t it is very hard. I have learned a lot from Karen in how to deal with this and I highly recommend her help thru this tough situation. She has a wealth of information to share and I feel like I am better equipped to handle the situation!!!
CN
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With an open heart and mind toward healing, Karen has provided me with wonderful advice and support, directing me to see opportunities on how to rebuild my relationships and move forward through difficult situation. I feel whole again.
Carla S.
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Karen was pivotal in guiding me through processing the death of my mother at 19 years old, and all of the difficult family dynamics that emerged in the aftermath of that event. Working with Karen gave me the tools I needed to break unhealthy generational relationship cycles, implement healthy boundaries and create peace for myself in the midst of chaos over the last two decades. I honestly don’t know where I would be without Karen’s vast knowledge and support. But, I can say for certain, that I would not be the emotionally healthy, strong, grounded and resilient person that I am today. Karen is truly a gift and I am so grateful to have had her support, guide me through so many of my life’s challenging experiences.
Tirzah B.
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Talking to a therapist has been invaluable to my mental health as I have needed to work through relationship challenges with both my parents and my adult children. Karen is compassionate and has an ability to help me see the bigger pictures in my family situation. She has helped me through grief and the pain of estrangement. With her help, I am learning to set healthy boundaries. She has taught me the importance of self care and that life can be good and I can be whole even when my life didn’t turn out the way I thought it would.
Kim N
