May 29, 2019
“I think it's important that teens have some kind of role model… somebody in their life that believes in them.”-Kim Thompson
Sometimes, the harder we hide something, the more painful it becomes- both to the person hiding it and to the ones it was hidden from. This is what happened to our guest, Kim Thomson. Her teenage years was marked with unaddressed questions and emotions that became an empty space, which she constantly tried to fill in. But the path she walked expanded that empty space instead. Now an adult, she came to realize the words above, moving her to make it her mission to help teens of families with addiction. She is the owner of the Colorado Teen and Family Center and she also serves as a Family Program Educator at CeDAR UCHealth. As her story unfolds, discover what lies behind every secret and why changing this culture can help save both your teens and your family.
We know that communication in the family is an essential ingredient in maintaining harmonious and happy relationships. Sometimes, however, older members choose to keep their mouth shut on certain things, assuming that the younger members don’t have to know about it. It maybe for protecting the kids from pain or protecting themselves from the pain of having to face the truth. But in reality, nobody’s protecting anybody. Teens can sense if there’s something going on. Keeping secrets from them is teaching them to keep secrets from you. So for today’s episode, learn how secrets in the family, especially the ‘addiction secret’, can cause enduring suffering to your teens. See how you can shield them from the adverse consequences that their suffering can lead them to. Taste the joy of helping your teens find their own role and place in the family. Build bridges and create the right meaning together before you get caught in the cycle of belief system. Feel your emotions as a family. Meanwhile, our guest will also introduce a program that can help teenagers deal with their thoughts and emotions. Hear more of these topics from today’s podcast.
Get the show notes, transcription and resources mentioned at
http://thefamilyrecoverysolution.com/
Highlights:
04:01 Igniting the Passion
09:28 The Belief System Cycle
12:49 Falling to Adverse Defensive Coping Mechanisms
15:22 Letting Out the ‘Secrets’ Sparks Healing
24:11 Building Bridges
29:06 The Trickledown of Addiction
31:25 Program for Teens of Families with Addiction-What’s in it?
39:24 Creating a Level of Safety