Summary:
Parent-child estrangement is a deeply painful and complex issue, with latest reports indicating that as many as 1 in 4 families are affected. Understanding and addressing these relational wounds can significantly enhance not just clients’ mental health but the health of entire family systems and communities, with a clear, research‑based explanation of why perceptions of “abuse” diverge so sharply between generations. This workshop equips licensed mental health professionals and ministry leaders to intervene at three leverage points: mapping the negative interaction cycle that drives disconnection, healing the underlying shame and fear that fuel it, and guiding families toward conversations grounded in curiosity, accountability, and calm power instead of worry. Participants will leave able to spot the subtle moves that widen the gap, teach clients how to own their part without self‑condemnation, and scaffold concrete next steps that honor safety while reopening doors to relationship. Furthermore, participants will learn how to confidently assess when repair is possible and what boundaries are necessary for both a client’s and a parent’s mental health and effective communication strategies for addressing and resolving conflicts between adult parents and children. These strategies will help clients express deep feelings in a way the other party can hear and understand, and how to guide families through the emotional healing process, turning negative emotions into opportunities for growth and reconnection.
Learning Objectives:
Assess when repair is possible and when boundaries are necessary for both patients and parent’s mental health.
Differentiate parent and adult‑child explanatory frames by analyzing at least three contrasting data points from current studies.
Describe effective communication strategies for addressing and resolving conflicts between adult parents and children.
Apply the “Negative Cycles” to a case vignette in order to diagram protective moves, hidden emotions, and turning points.
Analyze two example statements that shift a worried caregiver’s language into curiosity, validation, and permission‑based influence.
Outline strategies for turning resistance into productive discussions, fostering reconnection.
Identify skills to help parents and children identify and articulate underlying emotions such as sadness, fear, shame, and disgust.
Describe how to guide families through the emotional healing process, turning negative emotions into opportunities for growth and reconnection.