Kara Kohnen

Every relationship has seasons where things feel harder than they used to. Stress piles up. Patience thins. Small comments land badly. The same argument shows up again during dinner, in the car, or right before bed. That alone does not mean the relationship is in trouble. What matters is what happens next. Do both people recover after conflict? Can they still be kind when life is stressful? Are disagreements leading to better understanding, or are they becoming a loop neither person knows how...

Families often carry old roles long after childhood has ended. One sibling becomes the problem solver. Another becomes the peacekeeper. Someone else learns to stay quiet, act out, or succeed so well that no one notices their stress. In psychotherapy, these patterns matter because they rarely form in isolation. Family system theory looks at the whole emotional network, not just one person’s symptoms. When therapists include sibling position and early family roles in the work, they often...

A parent can seem “not quite themselves” long before there is a clear crisis. Maybe they stop answering calls. Maybe every conversation turns tense. Maybe they seem flatter, more fearful, or less interested in routines they used to enjoy. Changes like these can be easy to explain away. Aging brings loss, health problems, medication changes, retirement, reduced mobility, and shifting family roles. Still, emotional and behavioral changes deserve attention. They may point to depression, anxiety,...