Need A Reaction Update?

When lifes events make major changes in your life, how do
YOU react? Do you blame the heavens, other people or
just curse your bad luck?

Life is full of challenges and everyone has them of one
type or another. How you view each of life's lessons or
your attitude toward what comes with the "new normal" in their
"wake" determines your future and your actions.

Most who visit my office with their concerns demonstrate patterns of belief, attitude or routines that just don't fit
any longer with their present lives. Many people are "stuck"
and looking for someone to pull them out of the "mud". After we work on new strategies to navigate life's hills, curves and construction zones...not to mention the mountains and
bridges, most can view their life's map with renewed confidence
in their ability to navigate what comes.

What about the valley areas that can be so deep? Taking a look
at our belief systems and their outcomes can help us develop our abilities to deal with the lows of life, and like the really good times...they will come...as they are both
parts of life. How we feel about them and react to them makes all the difference.



Jodi H. Underhill MEd. LMHC Licensed Mental Health Counselor & Certified K-12 Guidance Counselor License #MH9166 Phone: 386.747.7148 Fax: 407.264.8289

Divided Families, Divided Child?

Constantly working with families who are not together usually due to divorce, I find there is always in the middle a child or children who only want to love both parents, in addition to the grandparents, aunts, etc. on either side. An there is the tough "nut"...the family "sides", both feeling they know what is best....even perhaps trying to alieninate the other parent by telling the child negatives about them, making thinly veiled threats or manipulating children to the point of emotional abuse.
What is even more upsetting is they do this absolutely certain that they are right and it is in the best interest of their child...or do the just want to win or be right?

What rich lives children could have if coparenting could be
actually done in the truest sense. The adults might put their
"weapons" away to work & even play together for the child's sake. How excited a boy or girl would be to look over while playing their basketball game to see his family members in the crowd, (not neccesarily together)..or hear grandparents calling each other to see if the others would like to come along on a special outing to enrich it for the child or children they all love so much.

But instead of these positive efforts, they threaten the parental rights of the other parent.... try to demonstrate how awful they may be or how attached the child/children are to them by at times purposely manipulating demonstrations of the child's
loyalty at the cost of his or her emotional wellbeing. These kids have enough divided "issues" without their very soul
being torn up any further.





Jodi H. Underhill MEd. LMHC Licensed Mental Health Counselor & Certified K-12 Guidance Counselor License #MH9166 Phone: 386.747.7148 Fax: 386.837.4311