ABSTRACT
Every child comes into the world already somebody, with his or her own temperament, endowments, sensitivities, genetic blueprint, and everything else human. Good parenting is an excellent thing but even the best parenting is no match for the reality of an already formed personality. Family therapy is premised on the belief that a child’s distress is virtually always a function of family dynamics. These dynamics can include physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, neglect, sparring parents, alcoholic parents, despairing parents, bullying siblings, shaming dynamics, zealotry, and intrusiveness. The list of possible adverse childhood experiences and childhood traumas is very long. Sometimes what is distressing a given child is some environmental, dietary, or chemical factor affecting his or her body chemistry. Parents need to be reassured about the power of loving relationships, good nutrition, and time spent away from screens and out of doors.
