Family & Relationships

My best friend and ex-partner recently died by suicide. He had reached out to me a month before, but I was annoyed and busy and barely responded. He said he missed me, and I didn't say it back even though I missed him, too. I feel I contributed to his pain and loneliness. How do I not feel so terrible and like I am to blame for his decision to take his life?

We are looking for help to address the trauma our family has gone through. We have four special needs kids and one recently went to a treatment facility. While she is in a place to heal, we want to find help for the rest of the family. In-home help would be best for our kids as they are all autistic and fetal alcohol syndrome, plus learning disabilities. We live in Missouri. Please help.

My daughter came out to me a few months ago and told me that she is a lesbian. She is 16. I love her. I want to be open-minded and always try to say the right things to support her and show her I am there for her. Privately though, I’m having a harder time accepting this than I thought I would. I want to just get over these feelings and move on. Help.

Power struggles are not enjoyable – when two people or parties are competing for control or influence, it makes for a very uncomfortable and frustrating experience. The more we can self-regulate the better we will be at dealing with difficult situations. Check out four strategies that will help guide you to avoid power struggles.

Create your own affirmations with this easy, family-friendly activity.

I am a white woman who has several black female friends. Since the George Floyd murder and police brutality towards black and brown people, I’m feeling more and more alienated from my black friends and fear the divide is only growing. I am not sure if this is because I am white, or because I’m not doing something I should be? Or, maybe it’s all in my head. Whatever it is, I am very sad about it. What I can do to keep my friendships strong? I miss our connections and they mean a lot to me.

I'm the oldest of three adult siblings. My youngest sister, “Sue” was diagnosed with chronic depression, bipolar disorder, and within the past year, narcissistic personality disorder. Since the narcissistic diagnosis, she's stopped seeing her psychiatrist and stopped taking her medication. She's always had issues with pathological lying but I recently found out she has been lying to my other sister and parents about me for years - hurtful, relationship-damaging lies my family believed and she continues to tell to this day. My heart is extremely heavy because I'm contemplating severing ties with her. I know her behavior is largely because of her mental illness but I feel I need to emotionally protect myself from her. I'm at a loss for what to do.

My significant other doesn't believe me when I tell her I have a mental illness. It is really affecting our relationship as she doesn't respect me when I tell her I need extra time or space. How else can I show her what I am going through? 

Many of us are familiar with the concept of gratitude and thankfulness. Science says that feelings of gratefulness have many positive effects – from physical to psychological – making it the most popular topic for daily journals. At Nexus Family Healing, we see many youth and families who are going through difficult times and struggle to see the good in every day. That’s why we champion the practice of keeping a “joy journal.”

Conversation starters to get past the generic “I’m fine” response and learn more about how your family is feeling.