Dear Therapist: No One Wants to Host My In-Laws for the Holidays
My husband’s parents are divorcing, and they are worried about being alone.
Dear Therapist
Lori Gottlieb guides readers through the ordinary difficulties of human life
Dear Therapist: I’m Worried About My Brother
His wife’s behavior has made him a shell of his former self.
Dear Therapist: I Ran Into the Man Who Raped Me
The assault was seven years ago. Should I expose him now?
Dear Therapist: My Relatives Don’t Believe My Parents Were Abusive
How do I maintain a relationship with my extended family without feeling so unheard?
Dear Therapist: I Inherited Unwanted Family Secrets
I didn’t ask to be the custodian of their guilt and shame.
Dear Therapist: I’m the Golden Child, and My Siblings Resent Me for It
I never asked for this role.
Dear Therapist: A Son I Didn’t Know Existed Just Found Me
And my wife is very upset about me reconnecting with his mother.
Dear Therapist: I Flipped Out at My Brother, and I Regret It
How can I apologize to him, but also explain that he makes me feel small?
Dear Therapist: I Don’t Want to Take Care of My Aging, Homophobic Parents
What do I owe them if they caused me pain growing up?
Dear Therapist: I Miss Having Sex
I’m a 70-year-old widow, and I don’t know how to get my needs met.
Dear Therapist: My Daughter Tried to Confront My Ex-husband’s New Wife
Now he has cut her off and expects an apology.
Dear Therapist: How Do I Talk to My Boyfriend About His Ex?
I think he may still have feelings for her.
Dear Therapist: I Don’t Want to See My Mom This Christmas
She ruins the day, but guilt-trips me when I try to opt out.
Dear Therapist: I Cannot Support My Mother’s Marriage
Her soon-to-be husband abused her and traumatized me.
Dear Therapist: My Mother Is Rewarding My Brother’s Bad Behavior
I feel like she’s ignoring his mistakes by leaving him a substantial inheritance.
Dear Therapist: I Feel Tremendously Guilty for Not Taking Care of My Aging, Alcoholic Mother
Distancing myself from her was heart-wrenching. It was also the healthiest choice.
Dear Therapist: My Husband Had a Relationship With His Best Friend
The man he says is “like a brother” to him turns out to have been more than that.
Dear Therapist: I’ve Been Dumped by My Friends
I thought our shared history would keep us close, but it hasn’t.
Dear 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.
Dear Therapist: I Won’t Marry Someone With a Mountain of Debt
After learning the full scope of my boyfriend’s finances, I don’t know if I should continue the relationship.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Dear Therapist: My Brother-in-Law Is a Thanksgiving Freeloader
Do I have to invite him this year?
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.
Dear Therapist: We’re Cutting My Husband’s Parents Out of Our Lives
How do we explain the estrangement to our kids?
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.
Dear Therapist: My Daughter-in-Law Is Posting Nasty Things About Me Online
She seems to find fault with everything I do.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.