In this solo episode, Whitney critiques a New York Times opinion piece claiming therapy culture is linked to declining birth rates. Drawing from her work with populations of estranged adults and research for her upcoming book on parent-child estrangement, Whitney addresses harmful misconceptions about why adults choose to limit contact with parents.

Whitney Goodman is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and the founder of Calling Home, a membership community that helps people navigate complex family dynamics and break harmful cycles. 

Have a question for Whitney? Call in and leave a voicemail for the show at 866-225-5466

Join the Family Cyclebreakers Club

Follow Whitney on Instagram

Follow Whitney on YouTube

Order Whitney’s book, Toxic Positivity

Learn more about ad choices. Visit podcast.choices.com/adchoices

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, I sat down with siblings Haley and Chad from the Necessary Conversation Podcast. Each week, they sit down with their parents to talk about politics and they invite us to listen (to say their political beliefs differ would be quite the understatement). They discuss their temporary estrangement due to politics and why they continue to sit down every week to have these conversations.

Join The Family Cyclebreakers Club: www.callinghome.co/join

Have a question for Whitney? Call in and leave a voicemail for the show at 866-225-5466.

Follow Whitney on Instagram: www.instagram.com/sitwithwhit

Subscribe to Whitney's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whitneygoodmanlmft

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hi! I'm answering two caller questions today. Caller 1 was abused by her father, and now he's getting remarried to someone with young children. Caller 2 told her sister about their parents' abusive behavior, and it didn't go as planned.

In the first ten minutes of the show, I recap some dysfunctional TV family dynamics in Sirens and Nine Perfect Strangers.

May at Calling Home - Grieving Complicated Relationships: ⁠https://callinghome.co/grieving-complicated-relationships ⁠

Have a question for Whitney? Call in and leave a voicemail for the show at ⁠866-225-5466⁠.

Follow Whitney on Instagram: ⁠www.instagram.com/sitwithwhit⁠

Subscribe to Whitney's YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@whitneygoodmanlmft⁠

Order Whitney's book, ⁠Toxic Positivity. ⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, I discuss one reason young people end relationships with their parents: their desire for differentiation. You will learn why differentiation is crucial for healthy family dynamics, why adults may need to establish strict boundaries with their parents, and how relationships are formed based on role vs. relationship quality.

May at Calling Home - Grieving Complicated Relationships: ⁠https://callinghome.co/grieving-complicated-relationships ⁠

Have a question for Whitney? Call in and leave a voicemail for the show at ⁠866-225-5466⁠.

Follow Whitney on Instagram: ⁠www.instagram.com/sitwithwhit⁠

Subscribe to Whitney's YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@whitneygoodmanlmft⁠

Order Whitney's book, ⁠Toxic Positivity. ⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I'm back with two caller questions this week. Caller 1 has been waiting for her siblings to see her perspective, but now that they have, she's having some conflicting emotions. Caller 2 is trying to make sense of her sister's apparent amnesia of their father's abuse.

Join The Family Cyclebreakers Club: www.callinghome.co/join

Have a question for Whitney? Call in and leave a voicemail for the show at 866-225-5466.

Follow Whitney on Instagram: www.instagram.com/sitwithwhit

Subscribe to Whitney's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whitneygoodmanlmft

May at Calling Home - Grieving Complicated Relationships: ⁠https://callinghome.co/grieving-complicated-relationships ⁠

Have a question for Whitney? Call in and leave a voicemail for the show at ⁠866-225-5466⁠.

Follow Whitney on Instagram: ⁠www.instagram.com/sitwithwhit⁠

Subscribe to Whitney's YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@whitneygoodmanlmft⁠

Order Whitney's book, ⁠Toxic Positivity. ⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You were the responsible one. The quiet one. The one who didn’t need much. And now, as an adult, you feel stuck—like you never got the chance to just be a kid, and it’s holding you back.

Grieving a childhood that was chaotic, neglectful, abusive, devoid of emotional connection, or overly parentified can be challenging. You may feel like you’re stuck in your childhood or your child self, and like you can’t seem to let go or move into adulthood.

In this episode, I explain what it means to grieve your childhood, the impact of a missed childhood, and how to become the adult you need.

Join The Family Cyclebreakers Club: www.callinghome.co/join

Have a question for Whitney? Call in and leave a voicemail for the show at 866-225-5466.

Follow Whitney on Instagram: www.instagram.com/sitwithwhit

Subscribe to Whitney's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whitneygoodmanlmft

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Imagine your parents disapprove of your partner, and they're outwardly hateful about the life you've chosen to live. You had to end your relationship with them because of this. But now you're thinking about having a baby, and you want your baby to have grandparents.

What would you do in this situation? That's one of the issues we're navigating in the latest Q&A episode out now.

About the Host

Whitney Goodman is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and the founder of Calling Home, a membership community that helps people navigate complex family dynamics and break harmful cycles.

Have a question for Whitney? Call in and leave a voicemail for the show at 866-225-5466

Calling Home Monthly Topic

May | Grieving Complicated Relationship: ⁠https://callinghome.co/grieving-complicated-relationships ⁠

• Join the Family Cyclebreakers Club

• Follow Whitney on Instagram

• Follow Whitney on YouTube

• Order Whitney’s book, Toxic Positivity

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode #116 of the Calling Home Podcast with Whitney Goodman, LMFT

In this solo episode, Whitney Goodman explores the complex grief that comes with mourning a parent who wasn't emotionally or physically present. Whether the parent is still alive but unwilling to change or has passed away, Whitney explores the confusing emotions that can arise and provides practical guidance on navigating both forms of loss.

About the Host

Whitney Goodman is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and the founder of Calling Home, a membership community that helps people navigate complex family dynamics and break harmful cycles.

Have a question for Whitney? Call in and leave a voicemail for the show at 866-225-5466

Calling Home Monthly Topic

May | Grieving Complicated Relationship: https://callinghome.co/grieving-complicated-relationships

Join the Family Cyclebreakers Club

Follow Whitney on Instagram

Follow Whitney on YouTube

Order Whitney’s book, Toxic Positivity

Learn more about ad choices. Visit podcast.choices.com/adchoices

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mother's Day is this weekend, and I know that is hard for many of you. In this episode, I discuss who should be "celebrated" on Mother's Day and answer several of your questions about how to grieve and estrangement.

Here are those resources I mentioned in the episode:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is an episode that every trauma survivor—and the people who love them—should listen to. Nate is an amazing speaker who discusses childhood trauma from a survivor's perspective, and I have no doubt this episode will deeply impact you.

You can learn more about Nate and his work here.

May at Calling Home - Grieving Complicated Relationships: ⁠https://callinghome.co/grieving-complicated-relationships ⁠

Have a question for Whitney? Call in and leave a voicemail for the show at ⁠866-225-5466⁠.

Follow Whitney on Instagram: ⁠www.instagram.com/sitwithwhit⁠

Subscribe to Whitney's YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@whitneygoodmanlmft⁠

Order Whitney's book, ⁠Toxic Positivity. ⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices