1. Check out the attached YouTube. It’s a brief video in which Dr. Swisher answers some common questions about mediation including questions about confidentiality, how long mediation takes, the role of legal […]
Courts across the State of Maryland are increasingly integrating Parenting Education Courses for adults litigating child custody issues. “Parenting education can provide parents with new, healthier perspectives” says Dr. Thomas Swisher. With […]
1. Most divorce cases settle before going to trial. Those that don’t settle and involve child custody are often court ordered into mediation. You would be wise to consider mediation before or […]
Boundaries are often unspoken rules defining who participates in the family, how and when. We all need boundaries to protect and take care of ourselves. Some folks have very rigid boundaries and […]
Emotionally we must now accept new members into the system. This isn’t hard initially because babies come to us in sweet innocent packages that open our hearts. Unfortunately, in the middle […]
The major emotional transition during this phase is through commitment to the new system. Formation of a marital system and realignment of relationships with extended families and friends that includes our […]
In working with families, I am often contacted to counsel a child who is “acting out”. This child often gets labeled as the “Identified Patient.” This is a psychology term describing an […]
Family myths operate very much like secrets, only in counter-functioning ways. Myths are the things we do talk about in our family, but aren’t really there. Like secrets, all families have their […]
Here are some common roles that children play in families: The Scapegoat Often the first-born child. All of the energy within the family is focused on this child and their “problem.” Often […]
A “Family Lifecycle” is a series of stages families go through as the structure of the family changes. Here are the stages of the Family Life Cycle: 7 Stages of the Family […]
