Thanks to the numerous and much needed campaigns against social stigma, the word “therapy” doesn’t hold the same negative connotations that it once did for people. In fact, caring for your mental health is considered as just an imperative of an approach as caring for your physical wellbeing.

When it comes to therapy, there are different branches of it to explore. Some turn to it for grief counseling, while others seek help due to anxiety and stress. For some it is the answer to behavioral changes, for others it is a moment of self-reflection. These days, one can also even go online to places like Regain.us to get the help one needs.

Whatever the objective might be, it does help people in achieving their goals in all walks of life.

Even if the goals are to keep a family stay happy and healthy together.

What is Family Counseling?

As the name suggests, family counseling is targeted therapy that caters to issues which affect a family as a whole. Some of these issues include but are not limited to a family member’s addiction to substances; parents going through divorce; or a child/adolescent going through unruly behavior.

The conflicts and stressful situations that can result out of such an issue are often addressed through family counseling.

What Happens During Family Counseling?

In the typical model of therapy, individuals have to attend separate sessions to address their issues. But in family counseling, these sessions are usually held with all of the concerned family members being present in them.

For instance, if the issues are between partners or married couples, then only the two of them attend the session. If the issues have to be discussed between the whole family, then siblings or kids join the session along with their parents or other family members.

From there, a licensed therapist or qualified counselor takes the responsibility to lay out the issue at hand for everyone to discuss, and determine a resolution accordingly.

For instance, if an issue such as addiction involves one single person, then the family counseling is targeted at how the person feels and how other family members could support them. If the issue involves the whole family, such as the parents going through a divorce, then the problem is discussed in how the family could support each other and especially the children through the troubling time.

This same notion applies to matters of grief, bereavement, or other conflicts.

When to Seek Family Counseling?

Even with its clear approach, it could often be difficult to determine when and how you need family counseling. But by knowing the signs, you can seek help in a timely manner.

Typically, the first few signs of needing family counseling are:

• When your family is going through constant conflict.
• When your children are acting out for one reason or another.
• When you and your partner are going through separation or divorce.
• When your family go through the death of a family member, or has suffered a loss of any kind.
• When a family member is going through addiction.
• When a family member is having behavioral, physical, or mental health issues.

It is important to remember that while these are the most common signs to seek out help in the form of family counseling, they are not set in stone. If your family is going through any issues that you think may be resolved with qualified help, then reach out and seek professional help.

Remember, the harmful myths about therapy are just that, myths without any substantial proof. Therapy can actually help your family go through difficult issues in a healthy and safe manner.

The key is to shake off the stigma of therapy and seek help when you need it the most. It could save your family from falling apart, and have all of you come out at the other end stronger than ever.

Kids clothes can easily take over your life if you’re not careful. When your baby is born, your friends all want to shower you with gifts and it brings them great delight to buy your baby clothes. The clothes are cute because they’re miniature and your friends are so thoughtful and generous that the mass of kids clothes acquired soon becomes more than you can bear to dig yourself out from under. Laundry becomes a torturous task that seems to take over your life. 

You spend your days laundering and folding kids clothes, only to find that when you go the put the clothes away, the drawers and closets are overflowing and things are hard to put away. “I’ll just leave this right here on the table for now. I’ll have to go through her drawers to make some room later,” you think. Been there, done that! What if I told you it doesn’t have to be this way? 

Here are my top three tips for simplifying your child’s wardrobe.

1)      Throw things in the trash. Maybe a harsh first point, but going through your kids’ clothes and tossing anything that is ripped or stained beyond repair is a great first step in simplifying their wardrobe. They probably aren’t wearing these clothes anyway and that makes this an easy place to start.

2)      Pull out anything that doesn’t fit right now. Ever had the battle over the too-small pair of pants at the last minute while you’re trying to get everyone dressed and out the door? Eliminate the struggle and remove things from their drawers and closets that don’t currently fit. Store seasonal clothes in bins and donate or pass down to younger siblings clothes that no longer fit. This will give you a bunch of space to work with and it will also show you exactly how many of each item you have. I did this recently and found that my daughter had 33 tops in her drawer. Many of them didn’t fit and taking them out left us with so much room!

3)      Fill in the gaps – Capsule Wardrobe. Does a capsule wardrobe intimidate you as it did me? Don’t be afraid to give it a shot. You can do as many or as few pieces in a capsule wardrobe. The key is that all the pieces can be worn together. After you throw away all the ripped and stained items and pull out anything that doesn’t fit right now, you’ll be able to better assess what your child needs. Don’t skip those first two steps! They’re essential to getting the capsule right the first time.

These are my top tips for simplifying a child’s wardrobe, but it could work in an adult’s closet too! Tell me – are you a clothing minimalist or do you love to shop and buy?

It’s something that nobody wants to talk about but like it or not, you will get older.

On the plus side, today isn’t the day that we’re about to remind you about the bulging belly and grey hairs that are often associated with aging (although these by no means happen to everyone – the former is a common myth in fact).

Instead, today is all about finances. It might be a seemingly boring topic, but in relation to aging it can also prove to be quite popular. As you’ll soon find out, as you age you will meet your fair share of financial surprises but contrary to popular belief, they’re not all bad.

Surprise #1 – You might earn more

Today isn’t the day that we’re going to bang on about pensions. Instead, it’s about how much MORE you could earn when you get older.

The prospect of retirement can be fun if you anticipate relaxing days spent on sunny beaches, but if you have concerns about potential debt and the general difficulties of living on a fixed income the prospect of retirement can suddenly become scary. A reverse mortgage lender can alleviate many of those concerns by providing you with a non-traditional form of loan designed just for retired individuals. Under the loan terms you can borrow money against the value of your home and pay it back at your leisure using a reverse-loan calculator you can find out exactly how much you’ll be getting per month. No full repayment will be required as long as your primary residence continues to be the home in question and you will continue to be the homeowner for the duration of the loan.

Sure, your pension might aid in this process, but this surprise is probably going to apply to those of you who are still working. This is because studies have found that 90% of over 50s are actually classed as “happy” in their job role. This is mainly due to the fact they have reached their career goals and are regarded as an expert.

As we all know, a happy worker tends to be a motivated one. The domino effect of this is that pay rises and promotions are still on the table – with many people also taking on extra freelance work to supplement the coppers some more.

Surprise #2 – You will probably have to provide for your children even after they fly the nest

We all know the cost of raising children – it spans into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

This figure is seemingly on the rise though. More and more parents are helping out with a house deposit for their kids, for the simple fact that it’s otherwise unaffordable.

It doesn’t stop at bricks and mortar though – it can stretch as far as funerals and elderly care. In relation to the former, many people feel as though it’s better to pay “today’s rate” with a pre-paid funeral plan, to ensure that the family doesn’t have a huge bill. Then, with elderly care, it’s been all over the news over recent times how expensive this is – and it’s not getting any cheaper.

Surprise #3 – You might have more financial flexibility

The final surprise is another pleasant one; you’ll probably have slightly more financial flexibility than you once thought. We’re mainly referring to refinancing and if you need a quick boost of cash, mortgaging is most definitely possible. In fact, it’s something that’s come on leaps and bounds over recent years and while banks may have once been reluctant to loan to the elderly, this is no longer the case. Of course, there are limits, but these are higher than they once were which just carves a few more avenues to those of you who might want to make that luxury purchase.

One of the nicest things about having a family is getting to go on vacation with them. And one of the best ways to go on vacation with your family is to do a sports-themed vacation. Assuming the whole family is into sports (and many of them are), this can be a whole new level of bonding among the family.

Giving specific suggestions is almost too tough here, because there are so many options to choose from. For example, just under baseball, and just for starters, you could tour Wrigley Field, from there head into Iowa and tour the original Field of Dreams (yes, the one about which they made a movie), then go east all the way to Faneuil Hall, the NYC baseball stadiums, and the Baseball Hall of Fame (the world’s oldest hall of fame at 75 years old ) in Cooperstown, NY. Tour Doubleday field, where the sport in and of itself was born, and visit the Baseball Wax Museum. And this is just scratching the surface!

It is highly recommended not to under-estimate your children. You may be surprised at the things that will NOT go over their heads. And don’t forget that it’s up to you to push their limits and broaden their horizons. Don’t be afraid to book a vacation that will give your kids a sense of the history of their favorite sports, and even include sports that they may not yet know about or particularly care for. This even includes things like horse racing, for example. Your kids may just be introduced to the sport, but come back with spectacular memories of their first Kentucky Derby. The possibilities are massive.

Internationally, there are also tons of options. Beside the obvious and expensive World Cups and Olympics, there are tons of cheaper and interesting options. One little-known gem is the windsurfing championships held every year at Cabarete, Dominican Republic, which is a reasonably cheap destination and a cheap and short flight from the USA. The best part about a plan like this is it comes with plenty of sand and surf for the family to enjoy as well, as well as amazing beach-side dining.

Of course, mom and dad are still going to be more sophisticated and jaded than the kids. One way of keeping the kids happy without getting bored yourselves is to place a bet online before going to the event. And if you are abroad, for example in the UK where sports betting is legal, it will be an option available right there in the arenas. This multiplies the adrenaline of the event many times over and lets you really get into it with the same spirit that the kiddies do!