Family & Relationships

When a Friendship Ends: Understanding, Grieving, and Moving Forward

Giving yourself permission to grieve while creating space for healing and new beginnings When people think about breakups, our minds usually jump to romantic relationships. But another painful and overlooked form of heartbreak is the end of a friendship. “Breaking up” with a close, platonic …

Read the Blog

Best of “In This Family” Episodes

Our most listened-to conversations about family relationships, mental health, and resilience This fall, Nexus Family Healing launched a new podcast, In This Family, hosted by our President/CEO Dr. Michelle K. Murray. Each episode features guests who share how mental health has shaped their lives …

Read the Blog

Keeping Holiday Anxiety at Bay

A self-care guide for holiday gatherings The holidays are often celebrated as a time of joy and connection. But for many, they can also bring a wave of anxiety and a sense of worrying about what “may” happen. Whether you are hosting or attending, holiday gatherings can sometimes feel like …

Read the Blog

Honoring My Kids’ Roots in a Multicultural Family

A foster and adoptive mom’s reflections on love, culture, and belonging I am not sure it will ever feel like enough… but I will always try to honor my kids’ roots. When we became a foster family, the first children who came to live with us were siblings, a teen boy and a toddler girl, who were …

Read the Blog

How to Have Genuine Conversations With Your Teen

Communicating effectively with your teen and being in touch with their emotional and mental health is important to foster and grow healthy relationships. So, how do you foster a genuine conversation based on truth, mutual respect, and understanding? Here are some ideas to create a safe space and …

Read the Blog

How to Build a Balanced Family Summer Schedule (Without Losing Your Mind)

Mid-summer chaos is real. Your house is a mess, your kids are bouncing between activities or begging for more screen time, and the packed schedule you hoped would help is only adding stress. So, how do you create a summer that’s structured but not overwhelming? And if you notice that your …

Read the Blog

How to Support Your Loved One in Their Gender Expression

Here at Nexus Family Healing, our staff serve all youth, including trans and non-binary youth. Supporting these youth in their gender expression is a critical part in the care we provide, and we hope we can offer some advice for anyone looking for ways to support their gender nonconforming loved …

Read the Blog

How To Love Through Hard Times

February is the month of love. With Valentine’s Day occurring this month, our society gets swept up in finding ways to show our love through gifts, date nights, and special treats. While the holiday can be a fun excuse to spoil our loved ones and express our love, it can also be a challenging day …

Read the Blog

Talking to Your Child About Domestic Violence

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. At Nexus Family Healing, we serve youth and families who have often either been victims of and/or witnessed domestic violence. Domestic violence, or intimate partner violence, is a particular kind of terror where your home, your safe space, is no longer …

Read the Blog

A Responder’s Perspective on Suicide Prevention

As a family responder, working with youth who struggle with suicidality (deliberately hurting oneself with an intent to die) is a routine part of my job. I rely on my education, trainings, and past experiences to help families navigate through these situations. Parents are often not provided with …

Read the Blog

Guilt During the Holidays

When To Go and When To Not? While the holidays may mean quality time for many people, for others, family time may be something that fills them with dread and anxiety. Dysfunctional family dynamics, from snarky comments to outright fighting, can cause someone to not want to join in the family …

Read the Blog

The Season of Giving

This holiday season is often called the “season of giving” where we focus on sharing physical gifts, our time, and the spirit of care and compassion. While the act of giving is exciting for many people, and actually boasts physical and mental benefits, it can also be a huge source of stress. How do …

Read the Blog