In this week's episode of the podcast, host Tina Gilbertson shares an excerpt from a recent conversation Dr. Samantha Barcham, whose experience with neurodivergence and estrangement is not only clinical, but personal.

Neurodivergence has many faces, with autism and ADHD being two of the more widely known. But much of the impact of neurodivergence lies below the surface, where parents and others may not be able to see very real struggles with emotional overwhelm, organization and management, or social awareness.

Mismatches between a neurodivergent person's experience and the reactions of others can contribute to repeated relationship ruptures. Understanding these ruptures, and how they can happen in spite of one's best intentions, can be the beginning of healing and repair.

For general, evidence-based tools to repair a troubled parent-adult child relationship, read host Tina Gilbertson's book, Reconnecting With Your Estranged Adult Child. https://amzn.to/2ZhetMe

Reconnection Club members can discuss this and every episode in the General Discussion forum inside the Reconnection Club. Not a member yet? Learn more and join. https://reconnectionclub.com

Follow Tina Gilbertson on Substack https://tinagilbertson.substack.com/

EPISODE LINKS:

www.drsambarcham.com
www.youtube.com/@drsamtherapy
www.linkedin.com/in/s4mb/
www.drsambarcham.substack.com
https://www.tiktok.com/@drsamtherapy

When you're experiencing estrangement from an adult child, it's natural to look to other people for advice. And if someone else's estranged adult child can explain exactly what they want from their parents, shouldn't you listen?

Not necessarily.

One person's experience of family estrangement can't stand in for another's. There are many differences between estranged adult children, including the reasons for the estrangement, the history of the relationship, the personalities involved, and what each person wants now.

That means advice that makes perfect sense in one family may be completely wrong for another.

Still, therapist and RC Podcast host Tina Gilbertson contends there's value in talking with other people estranged adult children. It just may not extend to advice on how to reconnect with your own child.

She also addresses another difficult issue for estranged parents: what it means to have close, loving relationships with other people's adult children. If your own adult child is estranged from you, is it wrong to enjoy closeness with someone else's adult child? Should you feel guilty when another young adult treats you warmly and includes you in their life?

Tina has some reassuring words for parents who find themselves wrestling with these questions.

For evidence-based information and tools to repair the parent-adult child relationship, read Tina's book, Reconnecting With Your Estranged Adult Child. https://amzn.to/2ZhetMe

Reconnection Club members can discuss this and every episode in the General Discussion forum inside the Reconnection Club. Not a member yet? Learn more and join. https://reconnectionclub.com

Follow Tina Gilbertson on Substack https://tinagilbertson.substack.com/

EPISODE LINKS:

"The Association Between Reading and Emotional Development: A Systematic Review" -- https://www.academia.edu/50162075/The_Association_Between_Reading_and_Emotional_Development_A_Systematic_Review

What if, instead of wondering what you should do next, you had a thoughtful strategy for reconnecting with your estranged adult child?

In this multi-part series (find Part 1 at https://reconnectionclub.com/232), therapist and host Tina Gilbertson helps parents build a reconnection strategy of their own -- one that fits their unique situation and can guide them not only when making contact, but also during stretches of silence.

Tina points out that most parents are already following some kind of strategy. It may be an instinctive response, a pattern they've fallen into, or simply whatever feels right in the moment. But when you're trying to repair an important relationship, hoping you'll know what to do when the next difficult moment arrives isn't much of a plan.

A well-formed strategy gives you something to come back to. It employs exactly the right tactics, not behaviors that backfire sending you back to Square One.

Don't let "strategy" and "tactics" put you off; they're not about deception or manipulation. They're about being thoughtful and purposeful about inviting reconnection, by repairing the parent-adult relationship. Strategy isn't a way to control your child, but rather a way to guide yourself.

You can't control what your adult child will do. But you can decide how you will show up. And having a thoughtful strategy can help you do that, even when the unexpected happens.

For evidence-based tools to repair a troubled parent-adult child relationship, read host Tina Gilbertson's book, Reconnecting With Your Estranged Adult Child. https://amzn.to/2ZhetMe

Reconnection Club members can discuss this and every episode in the General Discussion forum inside the Reconnection Club. Not a member yet? Learn more and join. https://reconnectionclub.com

Follow Tina Gilbertson on Substack https://tinagilbertson.substack.com

EPISODE LINKS:

Building Your Reconnection Strategy Part 1 https://reconnectionclub.com/232

Building Your Reconnection Strategy Part 2 https://reconnectionclub.com/233