Illustration by Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: My Relatives Don’t Believe My Parents Were AbusiveHow do I maintain a relationship with my extended family without feeling so unheard?Lori GottliebAugust 26, 2024
Illustration by Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: I Inherited Unwanted Family SecretsI didn’t ask to be the custodian of their guilt and shame.Lori GottliebJuly 29, 2024
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: I’m the Golden Child, and My Siblings Resent Me for ItI never asked for this role.Lori GottliebJune 24, 2024
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: A Son I Didn’t Know Existed Just Found MeAnd my wife is very upset about me reconnecting with his mother.Lori GottliebMay 27, 2024
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: I Flipped Out at My Brother, and I Regret ItHow can I apologize to him, but also explain that he makes me feel small?Lori GottliebApril 29, 2024
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: I Don’t Want to Take Care of My Aging, Homophobic ParentsWhat do I owe them if they caused me pain growing up?Lori GottliebMarch 25, 2024
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: I Miss Having SexI’m a 70-year-old widow, and I don’t know how to get my needs met.Lori GottliebFebruary 26, 2024
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: My Daughter Tried to Confront My Ex-husband’s New WifeNow he has cut her off and expects an apology.Lori GottliebJanuary 29, 2024
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: How Do I Talk to My Boyfriend About His Ex?I think he may still have feelings for her.Lori GottliebDecember 25, 2023
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: I Don’t Want to See My Mom This ChristmasShe ruins the day, but guilt-trips me when I try to opt out.Lori GottliebNovember 27, 2023
Illustration by Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: I Cannot Support My Mother’s MarriageHer soon-to-be husband abused her and traumatized me.Lori GottliebOctober 30, 2023
Illustration by Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: My Mother Is Rewarding My Brother’s Bad BehaviorI feel like she’s ignoring his mistakes by leaving him a substantial inheritance.Lori GottliebSeptember 25, 2023
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: I Feel Tremendously Guilty for Not Taking Care of My Aging, Alcoholic MotherDistancing myself from her was heart-wrenching. It was also the healthiest choice.Lori GottliebAugust 28, 2023
Illustration by Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: My Husband Had a Relationship With His Best FriendThe man he says is “like a brother” to him turns out to have been more than that.Lori GottliebJuly 31, 2023
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: I’ve Been Dumped by My FriendsI thought our shared history would keep us close, but it hasn’t.Lori GottliebJune 26, 2023
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: How Can I Get My Stepdaughter to Dump Her Dead-End Boyfriend?He doesn’t seem willing to commit, and she needs to move on.Lori GottliebMay 29, 2023
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: I Won’t Marry Someone With a Mountain of DebtAfter learning the full scope of my boyfriend’s finances, I don’t know if I should continue the relationship.Lori GottliebApril 24, 2023
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: We Set a Deadline to Decide About Marriage, and We Still Don’t KnowIt’s been almost two years; am I wasting my time?Lori GottliebMarch 27, 2023
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: My Daughter’s ‘Brother’ Is Actually Her FatherAfter 30 years, I want to tell her the truth, but I don’t know how.Lori GottliebFebruary 27, 2023
Bianca BagnarelliDear 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 GottliebJanuary 30, 2023
Bianca BagnarelliDear 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 GottliebDecember 19, 2022
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: My Brother-in-Law Is a Thanksgiving FreeloaderDo I have to invite him this year?Lori GottliebNovember 14, 2022
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: I Don’t Think I Can Accept My Boyfriend’s PastSeeing photos with his ex-wife and kids pushed me over the edge.Lori GottliebOctober 31, 2022
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: We’re Cutting My Husband’s Parents Out of Our LivesHow do we explain the estrangement to our kids?Lori GottliebSeptember 26, 2022
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: I Don’t Know How to Help My Best Friend Through Her DivorceShe’s making some unhealthy choices, and it’s hard to watch.Lori GottliebAugust 29, 2022
BIANCA BAGNARELLIDear Therapist: My Daughter-in-Law Is Posting Nasty Things About Me OnlineShe seems to find fault with everything I do.Lori GottliebJune 27, 2022
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: My Daughter’s Boundaries Are Preventing Us From Having a RelationshipI have felt for many years that she has kept me at arm’s length, and it seems to have worsened recently.Lori GottliebMay 30, 2022
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: My Dad Is Trying to Force His Way Into My LifeI’ve told him that I don’t want to talk to him, but he won’t leave me alone.Lori GottliebApril 25, 2022
Bianca BagnarelliDear 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 GottliebMarch 28, 2022
Bianca BagnarelliDear 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 GottliebFebruary 28, 2022
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist: I Can’t Turn to My Mom for Support After My Dad’s DeathI 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 GottliebJanuary 31, 2022
Bianca BagnarelliHow to Show ‘Wise Compassion’ to Struggling Loved OnesBeing truly supportive of someone who is in pain requires strength, patience, self-knowledge, and discipline, “Dear Therapist” writes.Rebecca J. RosenAugust 2, 2021
Bianca BagnarelliWhy In-Law Relationships Can Be So ChallengingTough conversations provide opportunities for pain and conflict, but also for growth and healing, “Dear Therapist” writes.Rebecca J. RosenJuly 5, 2021
Bianca BagnarelliThe Paradox of GriefLoss often feels utterly isolating, but seeking out connection and support can help you find a way forward, “Dear Therapist” writes.Rebecca J. RosenJune 7, 2021
BIANCA BAGNARELLI12 Pieces of Advice for Better ParentingParent-child relationships are constantly evolving, and as children grow, “Dear Therapist” writes, parents have to recalibrate what their role is.Rebecca J. RosenMay 3, 2021
BIANCA BAGNARELLI9 Pieces of Advice to Help You See Relationships More ClearlyIn 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. RosenApril 5, 2021
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist’s Guide to Dealing With RegretMoving forward doesn’t mean leaving the past behind—it means figuring out how to make sense of it in the present.Rebecca J. RosenMarch 2, 2021
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist’s Guide to Love and RelationshipsTalking honestly and openly won’t necessarily save a troubled relationship, but doing so can clarify whether one can and should be saved.Rebecca J. RosenFebruary 1, 2021
Bianca BagnarelliDear Therapist’s Guide to Starting OverChange can bring on a mixture of feelings; compassion is how you navigate them.Rebecca J. RosenJanuary 4, 2021