parents Archives - Heather Hayes & Associates

Transactional Analysis in the DNA of Modern Therapies

Heather Hayes — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 13:21:07 +0000

How Parent–Adult–Child quietly shaped CBT, parts work, trauma therapy, and inner-child healing. When you zoom out on today’s therapy landscape – CBT, DBT, schema therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), ego-state work, EMDR, inner-child work, a pattern appears. Over and over again, clinicians are: That’s exactly what Transactional Analysis (TA) was doing in the 1950s and […]

The post Transactional Analysis in the DNA of Modern Therapies appeared first on Heather Hayes & Associates.

When Mental Illness Turns Deadly: The Cost of Untreated Suffering

Heather Hayes — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

We need to say this plainly, because avoiding the issue has cost too many lives: Untreated mental illness and addiction kill people every single day, sometimes quietly, sometimes slowly, and sometimes explosively. Deaths come through suicide, overdose, reckless behavior, medical neglect, impaired judgment, and violence toward oneself and others. None of this is inevitable, and […]

The post When Mental Illness Turns Deadly: The Cost of Untreated Suffering appeared first on Heather Hayes & Associates.

Transactional Analysis: The “Forgotten” Theory That Still Changes How We Relate

Heather Hayes — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 15:45:08 +0000

(and how we can gently re-parent ourselves from the Adult ego state) During parts of the 1960s and 70s, Transactional Analysis (TA) was everywhere: therapy rooms, boardrooms, classrooms, even dinner-party conversations. Eric Berne’s simple but profound ideas about Parent–Adult–Child ego states, games people play, and “I’m OK–You’re OK” language gave people a shared map for […]

The post Transactional Analysis: The “Forgotten” Theory That Still Changes How We Relate appeared first on Heather Hayes & Associates.

Parental Alienation: A Relational Wound at the Heart of the Family

Heather Hayes — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 17:00:00 +0000

Parental alienation is a complex and often misunderstood dynamic in which one parent intentionally or unconsciously manipulates a child to reject the other parent, undermining the child’s attachment and loyalty to that parent. This behavior is most often seen in high-conflict separations or divorces but can occur in any family system where resentment, control, or […]

The post Parental Alienation: A Relational Wound at the Heart of the Family appeared first on Heather Hayes & Associates.

Coping with Angry Kids: Advice for Parents

Heather Hayes — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 17:27:20 +0000

One of the hardest things to deal with as a parent is children’s anger. I speak to parents who are overwhelmed, confused, and very often hurt or even shocked by the anger their children express towards them, other children, or the world in general. We know from research that anger in children is healthy and […]

The post Coping with Angry Kids: Advice for Parents appeared first on Heather Hayes & Associates.

Growing Up At Risk: Part Two

Heather Hayes — Sun, 07 Aug 2022 16:00:00 +0000

Children of Parents with Substance Use Disorder This is part two of a blog series on children of parents with substance use disorder: to read part one, click here. Substance use disorder (SUD) is a widespread problem in the United States. This condition affects individuals from every walk of life, as well as from every […]

The post Growing Up At Risk: Part Two appeared first on Heather Hayes & Associates.

Growing Up At Risk: Part One

Heather Hayes — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 16:30:00 +0000

Children of Parents with Substance Use Disorder Substance use disorder (SUD) is a widespread problem in the United States. This condition affects individuals from every walk of life, as well as from every social or cultural background. Furthermore, as I have written about in the past, the COVID-19 pandemic has been linked to increased substance […]

The post Growing Up At Risk: Part One appeared first on Heather Hayes & Associates.

Parental Projection: The Perils of Living Through our Children

Heather Hayes — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 05:30:00 +0000

We all project now and again. We may dislike an acquaintance because they remind us a little too much of ourselves or insist that our partner needs to do something exactly how we would do it. However, many people are guilty of projecting their emotions and expectations onto their children, which can lead to many […]

The post Parental Projection: The Perils of Living Through our Children appeared first on Heather Hayes & Associates.

Cannabis and Psychosis

Heather Hayes — Sun, 21 Mar 2021 04:01:00 +0000

“Psychosis is associated with more frequent and longer use of cannabis.” – Di Forti et al[1] After alcohol, marijuana is the most used psychotropic drug in America. In 2018, more than 11.8 million young adults reported marijuana use in the past year.[2] Marijuana (also known as cannabis, weed, pot, dope, or grass) is the most widely used […]

The post Cannabis and Psychosis appeared first on Heather Hayes & Associates.

What Your Teens Are Really Doing at Weekend Parties

Heather Hayes — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 23:43:36 +0000

By: Heather R. Hayes, M.Ed., LPC, CAI, CIP January 31. 2018 Rather than risk getting caught buying alcohol underage or begging an older sibling to score some weed, many teens are simply going to the family medicine cabinet, grabbing an assortment of whatever pills are in there, and heading out the door. Called “pharming” or […]

The post What Your Teens Are Really Doing at Weekend Parties appeared first on Heather Hayes & Associates.