About this episode

Whitney Goodman discusses the concept of differentiation and the challenges individuals face in being themselves around their families.

People don't walk into a therapist's office and say they're having a differentiation problem. They say they feel like a different person around their family, or that they have a whole life their parents know nothing about. Whitney walks through what differentiation actually is, and the four very different situations people are in when they can't be themselves around family. In this episode, you'll learn: - What differentiation means in Bowen family systems, and the three ways it commonly goes wrong - The difference between a family that disagrees with you and one that targets who you are - Why going no contact doesn't automatically differentiate you from your family Whitney Goodman is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and the founder of Calling Home, a membership community that helps people navigate complex family dynamics and break harmful cycles. Have a question for Whitney? Send a voice memo or email to whitney@callinghome.co Join the Family Cyclebreakers Club: https://callinghome.co Follow Whitney on Instagram | sitwithwhit Follow Whitney on YouTube | @whitneygoodmanlmft Order Whitney's book, Toxic Positivity: https://sitwithwhit.com/toxic-positivity Sign up for…

People in this episode

Host: Whitney Goodman

Topics covered

• differentiation
• family dynamics
• self-identity
• mental health
• Bowen family systems

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Calling Home

Products: Toxic Positivity

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