Adult Children of High-Conflict Parents - by Tracy S Hutchinson (Paperback)

About the Book

High-conflict parents are beyond toxic--they're often emotionally abusive, self-righteous, vindictive, and even vengeful. They tend to thrive on creating family drama, and often cause lasting relational trauma for their children. This powerful, evidence-based guide offers practical skills to help adult children of high-conflict parents identify, cope with, and heal from these dysfunctional family dynamics.

Book Synopsis

High-conflict parents are beyond toxic. Learn to heal the invisible wounds of growing up with a vindictive, emotionally abusive parent with this powerful, evidence-based guide.

Did you grow up in an emotionally invalidating environment? Were your parents verbally abusive toward you--or each other? Were they self-righteous, or even vengeful? Did they thrive on creating family drama, dysfunction, and conflict? Did you often feel bullied by them? If so, you probably had high-conflict parents, and you may have developed chronic relational trauma--enduring harm caused by one or more parents--as an adult. So, how can you heal the invisible wounds of your childhood, and build the life and relationships you deserve?

Adult Children of High-Conflict Parents offers practical skills to help you identify, cope with, and heal from dysfunctional family dynamics. Using a blend of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), internal family systems therapy (IFS), EMDR, and mindfulness, the integrative approach in this guide will help you break unhealthy relationship patterns, set boundaries with others, cultivate self-compassion and self-awareness, and thrive as an adult. You'll also find tools to help you manage intense emotions of your own, understand where these emotions come from, and finally break the cycle of trauma and emotional abuse.

The long-term emotional, psychological, and physical effects of relational trauma can be devastating--leading to low self-esteem, low self-worth, anxiety, guilt, excessive anger, and even physical health issues and substance abuse problems. But there are ways you can begin to heal. With this compassionate guide, you can move past the pain of growing up with high-conflict parents, and start moving toward a life of vitality, meaning, and happiness.

About the Author

Tracy S. Hutchinson, PhD, is an academic, clinical supervisor, and psychotherapist. Currently, she serves on the faculty at The College of William & Mary in the graduate clinical mental health program. She has taught as an assistant professor and faculty at the graduate level for several universities in the field of counselor education and supervision. She is also a psychotherapist in private practice, and specializes in narcissistic abuse and recovery in families, relationships, and adult children of high conflict parents.

Hutchinson earned her PhD from the University of Central Florida, a master's degree in counseling, and a bachelor's degree in psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is a licensed mental health counselor in the States of Florida and New York. She is a certified clinical trauma professional (CCTP), and an approved qualified supervisor providing both supervision and training to mental health therapists for licensure. She has also supervised counselors in training in university settings, private practice, and mental health clinics in preparation for licensure.

Hutchinson has published in peer-reviewed academic journals and textbooks in the field, and has presented at numerous international, national, and local conferences in the field of mental health counseling. Most recently, she presented at the European Branch of the American Counseling Association in Athens, Greece. She has taught many courses to both master's and doctoral students including the Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-V-TR). She writes for Psychology Today in her "Pulse of Mental Health" and "Silencing Your Inner Bully" blog series, has been featured on CNBC, in the Associated Press, and in various national publications including "Ask America's Experts" in Woman's World magazine.