Love and Strength in the Time of COVID

My clients have been asking for a little more support around things they're telling me they’re struggling with, such as dealing with new co-parenting challenges and the impact on their relationship, keeping their relationships strong while spending so much extra time together, and finding a way to work on themselves during this time.

So, I invited back one of my colleagues, Robert Terris JD, MFT, who also specializes in working with people dealing with problems within their family. In this talk, we cover a few topics, which have become more relevant during this recent shelter-in-place and current social distancing environment.

How can you strengthen your relationship, while you’re spending a lot more time together in your home? Now that there’s no alone time or anticipation of your partner’s return after a long day, the sweats, the stink, and, well, just the look of their face may be just too much.

How can partners help each other to enhance their sense of well-being during this time?

How can you stay in a healthy parallel parenting relationship (whether you’re married, separated, or separated in place)? It’s just about the kids’ homework, bedtime, or screen time anymore -- now there may be conflicting views on health safety practices. How can you respect and acknowledge each other’s strengths as parents, and avoid undermining each other in front of your children?

How can you manage and make the most of things when you’re feeling like you can’t move forward and are in a stuck place? How can you find some staying power?

For those who are feeling like you will be moving toward a separation once the social distancing is over, how can you make it through your time together, keep the peace and make the most of it?

And for you, who are spending this time alone, and are not able to start or reengage in dating, how can you use this time to work on yourself?

Many of us are living in environments where overstimulation is becoming a bigger issue. Whether it’s the music blasting through the house, the constant streaming of news from the TV, or just the incessant family chatter, caring for your nervous system (adrenal system) is very important right now. Do you find that you’re shutting down or maybe overreacting to everything? 

In this talk, we discuss all of these topics and present tips and coping strategies to help you get through this time. 

Resources:

• Strive Weekly (formerly “The Happiness Project”)
• Interview: Healing in the Here and Now
• Practicing Self Care

If you have any questions for Robert or me, please don’t hesitate to contact us (you can find our information below)!

Best,

Susan 

Susan Regan, MFT ([email protected])

More About Our Guest Speaker

Robert Terris JD, MFT
 

Phone: (510) 684-2172
Email: [email protected]
Site: Family Counseling & Mediation Center

Robert Terris is a Mediator and the Founder of the Family Counseling & Mediation Center in Berkeley, CA. He is dedicated to finding lasting solutions to family problems. Robert has been practicing understanding-based mediation for 15 years in a variety of family and legal settings. As both a licensed attorney and a family therapist, he offers unique skills in settling legal issues with emotional undercurrents. He is committed to helping people work through their problems and preserve their relationships. He has an uncanny ability to understand his clients’ points of view and zero in on the concerns underlying their positions. He asks everyone in the room to delve deep, to listen and understand, and to clarify and articulate their needs and interests. This leads to enhanced empathy, more creativity, practical solutions, and long-lasting agreements.