COPING WITH FAMILY STRESS DURING THE HOLIDAYS To officially kick off this blog, I thought I'd start with a subject that everyone can relate to: family. As fall moves in and the leaves begin to drop, we start to think about holiday planning, which leads to how we will be spending time with our families (family of "origin" or "created" families). Regardless of whether you have a well functioning family or a more chaotic family, this time of the year can create stress. We are told that family is important (family IS important) and should be our priority, but my experience as a therapist and my personal experience with being a part of a less-than-perfect family have given me some insight into how [...]