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Economic Recession Can Burden Family Relationships:
Tips for Coping with Financial Stress
Studies on relationships consistently rank financial
stress as a primary contributor to family conflict. Rising symptoms of
economic recession such as unemployment, foreclosures, bankruptcies, increasing
gas prices and inflation can create strain on family relationships .
“Issues related to intimacy, finances, child-raising, and communication
are the four major concerns of couples that I counsel,” says Michael
Riskin, Marriage and Family Therapist. “When families deal with
a financial crisis effectively, it can actually be a springboard toward
stronger relationships in all those areas of potential conflict.”
The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists offers
the following tips for coping with financial stress as a family:
- Don’t allow financial discussions
to dominate the marriage relationship. Strengthen your marital friendship
outside of financial
problems. When financial discussions need to take place, set yourself
up for success by making sure you have time to talk about it. If the
conversation becomes too emotionally heated, take a break and continue
the conversation later.
- Help your
kids understand what is going on. Children are often affected by the
stress of their parents, expressed
by tone of voice,
late hours and lack of attention. Help your kids understand what
is contributing to the changes in your attitude and schedule, and
use it as an opportunity
to teach them healthy ways to deal with stress.
- Make family time a priority. The temptation
to spend all of your time and energy at work often accompanies financial
stress.
Instead of helping the situation, this may actually lower your productivity
and put a strain on family relationships. Plan family time that will serve
to relieve stress. Connection to the family can provide social
support that you cannot get anywhere else.
- Make the best of the situation. See financial
difficulties as temporary and include the family in coming up with
creative ways
to approach the situation. While extremely frustrating, time off work due
to unemployment
may be additional time to spend with the family. The higher price
of gas may be an opportunity to encourage the family to walk or ride bikes
for local errands.
Financial pressures often test the stability of a
relationship. It takes dedication and commitment to ensure that misunderstandings
and disagreements do not come between you and those you love. A Marriage
and Family Therapist can help your family develop communication strategies
and approaches to conflict that will result in stronger relationships.
To learn more about family therapy, or to locate a therapist in your area,
visit California’s online mental health resource, www.therapistfinder.com.
About CAMFT
The California Association of Marriage and Family
Therapists, with 27 chapters throughout the state, is an independent professional
organization, representing the interests of licensed marriageand family
therapists. CAMFT provides TherapistFinder.com as a resource to the public
looking for marriage and family therapists located in California. For
more information about CAMFT, please call (858) 292-2638 or visit www.camft.org.
Media Contact: Tricia Whittemore
Porter Novelli
Phone: (619) 687-7018 or (603) 219-6088
E-mail: tricia.whittemore@porternovelli.com
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