The Healing Power of Two Stories (2 CEU)

A 2020 national survey of adult Americans found that 27% reported being currently estranged from a relative, with 10% reporting an active estrangement from either a parent or an adult child. For many of these families, one side of the cutoff is coming to therapy to reconcile, heal, or confront this rift. These estrangements are often fueled by deeply held convictions and values and therefore not easily resolved. However, the core of these divisions is often due to the family's inability to hold two very different stories about their family identity at the same time. This workshop will be presenting some critical factors that may explain this phenomenon. In particular, why familial cutoff has become such a common "solution" of choice to family relational problems and why so many ousted family members are mystified as to why the rift even occurred. This workshop will offer several pragmatic insights and tools for reframing the family narrative and teaching families how to maintain relationships while also holding two conflicted stories about who we are at the same time. Finally, the workshop will provide suggestions on how to remove common blocks to healing, restoring trust, accountability, and reconciliation that may be helpful to therapists thrust into the middle of this family crisis.