Cutting Ties with Your Parents: A Workbook to Help Adult Children Make Peace with Their Decision, Heal Emotional Wounds, and Move Forward with Their L

Powerful tools to help you accept your decision, manage intense emotions, and thrive.

Estrangement from one or both parents--even by choice--can take a huge emotional and psychological toll. If you have cut ties with a parent, you may have lingering feelings of anger, loneliness, guilt, and shame. You may question or second-guess your decision. And you may have trouble setting or keeping boundaries with your parent, as well as others in your life. This workbook offers evidence-based skills to help you heal the emotional wounds of your past, so you can finally move forward.

With this compassionate guide, you’ll identify the reasons why you cut ties, so you can accept and feel validated in your decision. You’ll discover powerful tools to help you manage intense emotions, develop healthy coping strategies, and build a lasting and trustworthy support network. Most importantly, you’ll learn to cultivate self-compassion and live your life authentically--on your own terms.

You’ll also find step-by-step guidance to:

• Grieve your losses and release guilt, anxiety, shame, and anger
• Understand and overcome the effects of difficult family relationships
• Manage difficult days and occasions like holidays, weddings, and funerals
• Maintain boundaries and build healthy relationships

They say that family comes first; but it shouldn’t be at the expense of your mental health, happiness, or future. If you’ve decided to cut ties, this book will help you confirm that you’ve made the right choice, and give you the tools you need to live your life with confidence.

Sharon Martin, DSW, LCSW, is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in helping adult children recover from difficult childhoods. She writes extensively about codependency, perfectionism, and healthy relationships, including the popular blog Conquering Codependency for Psychology Today. She is also the author of The CBT Workbook for Perfectionism and The Better Boundaries Workbook.