Dear Therapist

Dear Therapist: We Set a Deadline to Decide About Marriage, and We Still Don’t Know

It’s been almost two years; am I wasting my time?

• Lori Gottlieb
• March 27, 2023

Dear Therapist: My Daughter’s ‘Brother’ Is Actually Her Father

After 30 years, I want to tell her the truth, but I don’t know how.

• Lori Gottlieb
• February 27, 2023

Dear Therapist: Can I Cut My Mom Off From My Children If She Won’t Seek Therapy?

She hasn’t been a great parent to me, and I don’t want her repeating those patterns with my future kids.

• Lori Gottlieb
• January 30, 2023

Dear Therapist: How Do I Hold Boundaries With My Sister at Christmas?

I don’t want a relationship with her, but my parents want us to make up.

• Lori Gottlieb
• December 19, 2022

Dear Therapist: My Brother-in-Law Is a Thanksgiving Freeloader

Do I have to invite him this year?

• Lori Gottlieb
• November 14, 2022

Dear Therapist: I Don’t Think I Can Accept My Boyfriend’s Past

Seeing photos with his ex-wife and kids pushed me over the edge.

• Lori Gottlieb
• October 31, 2022

Dear Therapist: We’re Cutting My Husband’s Parents Out of Our Lives

How do we explain the estrangement to our kids?

• Lori Gottlieb
• September 26, 2022

Dear Therapist: I Don’t Know How to Help My Best Friend Through Her Divorce

She’s making some unhealthy choices, and it’s hard to watch.

• Lori Gottlieb
• August 29, 2022

Dear Therapist: My Daughter-in-Law Is Posting Nasty Things About Me Online

She seems to find fault with everything I do.

• Lori Gottlieb
• June 27, 2022

Dear Therapist: My Daughter’s Boundaries Are Preventing Us From Having a Relationship

I have felt for many years that she has kept me at arm’s length, and it seems to have worsened recently.

• Lori Gottlieb
• May 30, 2022

Dear Therapist: My Dad Is Trying to Force His Way Into My Life

I’ve told him that I don’t want to talk to him, but he won’t leave me alone.

• Lori Gottlieb
• April 25, 2022

Dear Therapist: Why Can’t My Wife Pretend to Like My Family?

I feel like I am stuck in a fight I don’t want to have.

• Lori Gottlieb
• March 28, 2022

Dear Therapist: My Husband Secretly Donated Sperm. Now There’s a Kid.

I feel betrayed and angry that he kept this from me for so many years.

• Lori Gottlieb
• February 28, 2022

Dear Therapist: I Can’t Turn to My Mom for Support After My Dad’s Death

I don’t want to burden her when she’s going through such a difficult time, but I need to talk to her about my grief.

• Lori Gottlieb
• January 31, 2022

How to Show ‘Wise Compassion’ to Struggling Loved Ones

Being truly supportive of someone who is in pain requires strength, patience, self-knowledge, and discipline, “Dear Therapist” writes.

• Rebecca J. Rosen
• August 2, 2021

Why In-Law Relationships Can Be So Challenging

Tough conversations provide opportunities for pain and conflict, but also for growth and healing, “Dear Therapist” writes.

• Rebecca J. Rosen
• July 5, 2021

The Paradox of Grief

Loss often feels utterly isolating, but seeking out connection and support can help you find a way forward, “Dear Therapist” writes.

• Rebecca J. Rosen
• June 7, 2021

12 Pieces of Advice for Better Parenting

Parent-child relationships are constantly evolving, and as children grow, “Dear Therapist” writes, parents have to recalibrate what their role is.

• Rebecca J. Rosen
• May 3, 2021

9 Pieces of Advice to Help You See Relationships More Clearly

In some cases, “Dear Therapist” columns help us understand a situation from another person’s point of view; in others, they give us the language we need to name a situation.

• Rebecca J. Rosen
• April 5, 2021

Dear Therapist’s Guide to Dealing With Regret

Moving forward doesn’t mean leaving the past behind—it means figuring out how to make sense of it in the present.

• Rebecca J. Rosen
• March 2, 2021