Sample Topics:

• How to deal with the transition

•What’s my new role as a parent of a college student?

•How do we stay connected while giving him or her the space they need to grow?

•Managing worries related to alcohol and other drugs, isolation, sex, mental health issues.

•Could we be open to alternatives to college as a valid choice ?

Where?

9 Burr Road, 1st floor Westport, CT 06880

When?

Eight Tuesdays, starting June 14th, 2016 (June 14, 21, 28, July 5, 12, 19, August 2)

11:00am - 12:30pm $75 per meeting

Feel free to bring your lunch.

Make this your ”extended lunch break” once a week for awhile!

RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY limited space

Contact

Betsey Lebow LMFT • betsey@betseylebow.com 203-216-1999

"What's the perfect thing to say when a friend loses a loved one?"

"Why isn't my family perfect like theirs?"

"S/he has the perfect body."

These are things people think and talk about frequently. The "P-word" gets thrown around in my office on a regular basis. When you think about it, it's tortuous to constantly be striving for perfection. We've all heard, "nothing's perfect" but many of us still expend a lot of energy working toward the elusive goal of perfection. Why? I think it's because we make assumptions about what we see and hear. When you walk down the halls or streets and see the shiny happy people, (thanks R.E.M.) do you assume that everything's perfect in their lives because it looks that way? Urban Dictionary's interpretation of "Shiny Happy People" lyrics:

"The term is based on a Chinese propaganda poster popularized by REM in the song of the same name. It's a term that determines that people are faking happiness or false happiness in order to fool the outside world that there are no problems. Shiny Happy People are effectively massive fakes. Look at that picture they just put up on Facebook they are all shiny happy people."

Bottom line: find your SELF, BE yourself and spend less time on social media feeling bad because your actual life is less perfect than their curated, virtual lives. Go outside, move your body, call a friend. Breathe.

Oh, and a good (not perfect) thing to say when someone loses a loved one is "I'm sorry for your loss" or "I don't know what to say." It's authentic. Be authentic. Be kind to yourself and others.

Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. -Ian Maclaren or Plato or Philo of Alexandria

Blog

Next-Step Parenting support group begins 6/14/16. details below:

NEXT-STEP PARENTING

Please join us for a Support Group

Betsey Lebow www.betseylebow.com

Sample Topics:

Betsey Lebow, LMFT