Welcome!
Family Troubles is a place where we talk honestly about estrangement, family conflict, and the complicated emotional realities that parents face when relationships with their adult children break down.
Here you’ll find thoughtful guidance, research-based insights, and practical advice on topics such as:
Why estrangement happens
How family vulnerabilities and misunderstandings collide
What increases the chances of reconciliation
How to communicate with estranged adult children
How to cope with the grief, shame, and confusion that estrangement often brings
Some readers come here hoping to repair a relationship. Others are trying to make peace with a painful situation they cannot change.
Wherever you are in that process, this publication is meant to help you better understand what you’re facing — and how to move forward.
What You’ll Receive as a Subscriber
Free subscribers receive regular articles exploring:
The psychology of family estrangement
Family conflict and reconciliation
Real-world cases and relationship dynamics
Guidance for navigating difficult family situations
Advice on healing the pain
Paid subscribers receive additional support and deeper engagement, including:
Full access to the publication archive
Monthly webinars and interviews with experts
A monthly live Q&A session
Access to video replays of past events
The goal is to create not just a newsletter, but an ongoing resource for parents navigating one of the most painful experiences a family can face.
Dr. Coleman is a psychologist and Senior Fellow with the Council on Contemporary Families.
He is a frequent contributor to the Washington Post “Ask a Therapist” column and has also written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, NBC THINK, and more. He has given talks to the faculties at Harvard, the Weill Cornell Department of Psychiatry, UC Irvine, and other academic institutions.
A frequent guest on the Today Show and NPR he has also been featured on Sesame Street, Oprah, Dr Phil, 20/20, Good Morning America, PBS, NYU Doctors Radio, and numerous news programs for FOX, ABC, CNN, and NBC television.
Through his clinical work, writing, and speaking, Dr. Coleman has helped thousands of parents gain clarity, compassion, and perspective on estranged family relationships.
Family Troubles is where he shares ongoing insights, research, and reflections on the changing landscape of modern family life.
You Are Not Alone in This
Estrangement can feel isolating, confusing, and deeply personal.
But many families today are struggling with these same challenges.
This publication exists to bring understanding, compassion, and thoughtful conversation to a topic that is often surrounded by silence and shame.
If you’re navigating estrangement or serious family conflict, you’re welcome here.
