Mental Health for Grieving Parents: Caring for Yourself in the Wake of Estrangement
Grief doesn’t always come from a death. If you’re reading this, you may already know that.You may be grieving a child who’s still alive—but no longer in your life. Whether through estrangement, addiction, mental illness, or some other deeply painful rupture, the absence of a child can be devastating. It’s a loss that can leave […]
Understanding Parental Alienation: A Guide for Estranged Parents
By Brian Briscoe, LPC, LMFT Founder of PLACE, Parents Living After Child Estrangement If you’ve landed on this page, chances are, you’re a parent trying to make sense of a fractured—or fully broken—relationship with your child. You may feel like someone flipped a switch, and the loving connection you once had is now gone. You […]
Rebuilding Self-Worth After Estrangement: A Path Back to You
By Brian Briscoe, LPC, LMFT Founder of PLACE – Parents Living After Child Estrangement There’s a moment many estranged parents describe to me—a moment when the silence has stretched too long, the hope is wearing thin, and they look in the mirror and ask: “Who even am I anymore?” Estrangement from your adult child doesn’t […]
The Doug, The Row, and Estrangement
“I didn’t have no choice, Mack. Suzy said she wouldn’t go see him unless he got sick or had a broke arm. I tried, but I couldn’t figure out how to get him sick.” In the movie Cannery Row, Hazel tries to do something about the estrangement between Doc and his love interest, Suzy. I’ll spare […]
Coping With Guilt as a Parent: A Real Conversation
By Brian Briscoe, LPC, LMFT Founder of PLACE – Parents Living After Child Estrangement Let’s not sugarcoat this: parental guilt is brutal. And when you’re an estranged parent—cut off, shut out, left with silence or accusations—guilt can become your constant companion. I’ve heard it a thousand ways: Sound familiar? If you’re here, it probably means […]
Boundaries with Adult Children: Reclaiming Your Peace Without Losing Connection
By Brian Briscoe, LPC, LMFT Founder of PLACE – Parents Living After Child Estrangement Boundaries. It’s a word that gets tossed around a lot these days, often misunderstood and sometimes misused—especially when it comes to parent-adult child relationships. If you’re here, you might be wondering things like: Let’s explore what boundaries really are, why they […]
“For a Family Unflawed”
You, flawless kin around the Sunday table, your laughter spilling like last night’s wine. We, the outsiders, press our faces to your glass, counting hugs like bankers count their cash. What thread holds you together, quiet and tight? No slammed doors echo through this home. No lacerating words to leave marks, yet even saints stumble […]
Forgiveness and Reconciliation: Can Healing Happen After Estrangement?
By Brian Briscoe, LPC, LMFT Founder of PLACE – Parents Living After Child Estrangement Let’s be honest: the words “forgiveness” and “reconciliation” can stir up a lot of complicated emotions—especially if you’re a parent who’s been cut off by your child. Some people tell you to “just forgive and move on.” Others say, “You need […]
When Family Silence Hurts: Coping with the Trauma of Estrangement
By Brian Briscoe, LPC, LMFT Founder of PLACE – Parents Living After Child Estrangement Let’s just be honest from the start: estrangement from a family member—especially your own child—can be traumatic. I don’t use that word lightly. I work in trauma-informed care every day, and I’ve come to understand that trauma doesn’t always come from […]
Estrangement and Grief Therapy: Mourning the Invisible Loss
By Brian Briscoe, LPC, LMFT Founder of PLACE Parents Living After Child Estrangement Estrangement brings a pain most people don’t understand—until it happens to them. You haven’t lost your child to death, but in many ways, it still feels like a death. A kind of living ghosting. They’re out there, living life, but you’re not […]
