by | January 9, 2012

Arguing Over an Elderly Parent’s Care?

Are you and your grown siblings arguing over your elderly parent’s care?  Here’s a great article in the Star Tribune titled “New Sibling Rivalry: Caring for Parents” (see excerpt and link below) about elder care disputes.  Arnold Law and Mediation offers services to help your family discuss their options and opinions in a safe and comfortable environment with a neutral facilitator.  Sometimes people call this Elder Mediation, but it is really a format where we bring your family together to discuss, share information and ideas and opinions and have the opportunity to clear up misunderstandings and plan for future care and decision making. We have the technological capability to use a conference phone or online services to include far away siblings by phone or video conference. Let us help you lower the level of conflict in your family. Give us a call at 507-786-9999 to learn more.

From the article:

When a parent becomes ill, mentally or physically, or just becomes dependent on help, family members face daunting decisions that might include medical care, finances, power of attorney and myriad logistical challenges.

Experts say communication among the siblings, early and often, is crucial. Talk about decisions before they’re made and keep in mind it’s all about the parents’ well being.

Here’s a link to the article:

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/relationship/136775248.html#

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by | January 2, 2012

Two Heads Are Better Than One; A Team Approach

I recently talked with Janeen Massaros and Jeff Postuma about their service that they call A Team Approach where they offer a male and female team for Mediation, Parenting Time Expediting, Custody Evaluations, Parenting Skills Assessments, and Early Neutral Evaluations.  They developed the idea to offer the male and female team model for other services after working together on Early Neutral Evaluations (ENE). Not only are they able to offer a gender balance, but they can together call on their own specific expertise.  Learn more by watching the video below!

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by | December 12, 2011

Skype Conversation with LEGALnudge founders Attorneys Jenna Westby and Allison Marshall

I was really interested in the law firm with attorneys Jenna Westby and Allison Marshall called LEGALnudge, because of the law firm name and because of their pricing structure.  Most law firms are named after the last name or names of the attorneys who founded the firm, but this name is different!  That caught my attention and thought that for Always Family Center I should figure out what the idea was behind this name.  After looking at www.legalnudge.com, I was also curious to ask them about their pricing, since they have listed on their website the cost of various services, which is really uncommon in the legal field.  They also have a blog on their website.  Check out the video and learn something about LEGALnudge, a firm with a little bit different perspective on providing and pricing services in Family Law.

Although I didn’t ask about this in the video, from looking at their website, I noticed that they offer monthly legal clinics.

For more information about LEGALnudge, check out their website at www.legalnudge.com.

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by | October 25, 2011

Hold Me Tight by Sue Johnson; Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)

The book Hold Me Tight by Sue Johnson has a lot of interesting ideas surrounding the issues of communication between couples. I was lucky to be fortunate enough (see video below) to sit down with the author herself (through Skype) to discuss her perspectives on relationships, both what she believes to be the causes of conflict and the best ways to resolve them. Not only is the book informative, but it includes exercises that are meant to help the reader understand their situation and move forward in a healthy way.

By observing the patterns in the way people connect and disconnect, Sue believes that there is a way to help in the future to short-circuit future similar conflict patterns. She is able to recognize the core problems without being distracted by superficial details of conflict. Sue argues that the idea of dependence on another individual is not a negative attribute as so many believe it to be. As humans, we are meant to function with and depend and rely upon each other and that kind of connection makes not only the individuals stronger, but the relationship as well.

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by | October 21, 2011

LMFT Laura Barbeau’s Perspective on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for Couples and the book Hold Me Tight

I was really impressed, when I read the book Hold Me Tight by Sue Johnson.  This is not your ordinary couples self-help book but is instead a research-based handbook for couples looking to work on their relationship and looking to learn how to make a better connection and avoid old patterns of relationship conflict.  I was curious to learn more, because it seemed like a really helpful and important book.

The video below is a Skype conversation that I had with Laura Barbeau, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT).  She uses Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) in her therapy practice and she also teaches a course on EFT based on the book Hold Me Tight.

The class consists of around 8 sessions, 2 hours long each, that discuss the chapters of the book in a group setting. Here, couples converse about issues with the whole class, leaving less time to focus on insignificant details and more time to solve the root of problems that apply to so many couples. Laura believes conflict is present in any relationship and finding a healthy way to approach problems is a skill that will inevitably be useful to any couple.

To learn more about Laura Barbeau’s Hold Me Tight class, go to Laura’s website by clicking here.

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by | October 19, 2011

Daisy Camp – Upcoming Dates for Two Different Classes in November 2011 and One Weekend Retreat in February 2012

Great news! Here are some upcoming Daisy Camp seminars.  These are very inexpensive.  It seems to me that you can’t help but get your money’s worth.  You’ll learn more about the divorce process and your options.

Day-long Divorce Seminar on November 12, 2011 from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M.

See this link for seminar course details.

Children, Divorce and the Holidays on November 15th from 6 P.M. to 8 P.M.

Keep the Holiday Spirit Alive! Discover ideas that will help your family thru the holiday season.

Winter Weekend Retreat – February 3-5, 2012

Daisy Camp provides legal, financial, and practical advice from professionals who are outstanding in their areas of expertise. The retreat is designed to help women who are going through divorce related transitions. The retreat also gives woman the opportunity to meet and bond with other women who are experiencing similar fears and challenges. Attendees leave the Daisy Camp with a comprehensive divorce handbook and the option to attend ongoing support groups.

To register you can:

e-mail daisy@daisycamp.org
call Marlys Ousky at 952-405-2060
click here for their online seminar registration

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by | September 29, 2011

Marriage Amendment to MN Constitution to be Voted Upon in 2012 Election

I’m interested in how the political and legal debate develops around the issue of same-sex marriage. I had the opportunity to record a Skype conversation with OutFront Minnesota’s legal director, Phil Duran, about the marriage amendment to the Minnesota Minnesota Constitution that will be voted on by Minnesota citizens (along with voting on the various political races) during the 2012 election.

For a little background, this is from a 05/23/2011 news post on the Minnesotans United for All Families website:

An antigay marriage ballot measure approved over the weekend by Minnesota state lawmakers is already setting the stage for a deeply divisive campaign of national importance.
On Saturday, the Minnesota house voted 70 to 62 in favor of the bill, which allows voters in 2012 to decide whether to adopt a constitutional amendment banning marriage equality. The vote came after hours of debate and days of impassioned Capitol rallies on both sides of the debate.

Minnesotans United for All Families is the name of a coalition of organizations, which includes OutFront Minnesota, that are against the amendment.

The issue brings up questions about whether there should be something called Civil Union. Whether same-sex and hetero couples should all be grouped into Civil Unions rather than calling the state-sanctioned title marriage. Also, if there is such a thing as Civil Union, is that inherently unequal to marriage? Will the amendment be supported by the more libertarian wing of the republican electorate, since it appears to impinge on private ideals of freedom? Will this hurt the fragile Minnesota economy by scaring off potential employers, employees and those looking to start a business in Minnesota? Does this help anyone or is it just a flexing of religious/political muscle to impress a base constituancy?

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by | September 3, 2011

Problem Gambling – What is it? How to Identify it in Yourself and Others? What Resources Available?

I’m excited to introduce this post because it includes a very helpful video interview (see below) regarding Problem Gambling.

This is an update to a post that I did on Problem Gambling back in 2009 and another post I did about National Problem Gambling week back in 2010. This time, we’ve got video!

You’ll also want to also check out the Minnesota Institute of Public Health “Gambling Problems Resource Center“.

Minnesota Problem Gambling Helpline Number   1-800-333-HOPE.


Paula Detjen

Compulsive gambling has a major effect on Minnesota families. I have recently been learning a lot about problem gambling and how it affects families from Minnesota therapist Paula Detjen. Continue reading →

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