Generations Psychological & Consultation Services

05/29/2026

Parenting styles have certainly changed across generations, and it can be confusing to folks who grew up in a different time with a different worldview. However, I’m here to tell you: “respecting an elder (often denying abuse or tolerating extreme discomfort from someone else’s behavior) or else getting whooped” isn’t the flex one might believe.

The impact of that dynamic results in adults who aren’t in touch with how they actually feel about things. They deny their feelings to make others comfortable. They don’t feel safe verbalizing their needs to others, which causes real breakdowns in relationships. Because problems with childhood behavior were solved with physical violence, they also lack the skills to repair conflict. Thousands of older adults enter therapy for these exact reasons.

We’ve studied it. We’ve learned and implemented new ways to foster cooperation and repairing of ruptures. We’re not going backwards.

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the human and fur-child moms out there! Our hearts go out to all the folks who can’t reach out to their moms as well ❤️

05/10/2026

Generations is vehemently opposed to the opinion of the US Secretary of HHS regarding antidepressant medication. We should all be skeptical of dangerous rhetoric from people who lack the competency, expertise, or even direct experience to speak about such matters.

Mental health professionals are trained to view their clients in a holistic manner. We attend to socialization, diet, and physical activity. We also explore sleep habits, fatigue, physical health problems, and use of active coping skills. Sometimes, the reason a client struggles to engage in these behaviors is because they are simply too depressed or anxious to do them. In those cases, we have a careful and collaborative conversation about a referral to a medication provider (psychiatrist, NP/PA, or even P*P). We address fears of dependency, adding yet another medication, numbness, and adverse side effects. We talk about trial and error with certain medications, encourage clients to ask questions to their med providers, including the possibility of interventional treatments like TMS. We also speak to just keeping things as they are and how that suffering might impact the course of their life.

We have directly witnessed the improvement in mood and activity among people who began taking medication alongside psychotherapy. It’s a real thing, and it’s beautiful to see and experience the joy and relief (even from family members of the client) to see someone feeling and doing better.

04/07/2026

In her book chapter, Dr. Young addresses the multiple ecological levels of society that impact older adulthood. The first system, the chronosystem, reflects the set of historical and sociocultural changes that occur over one’s lifespan.

Major events that currently shape the experience of old age might include increases in life expectancy, availability of lifesaving healthcare, suitable and accessible housing, natural disasters and climate change, and war.

As providers, we are forced to grapple with how major political, environmental, and social events impact care recipients. We also consider whether and how our healthcare systems are prepared to ensure safety during catastrophic events.

https://novapublishers.com/shop/systemic-ableism-critical-perspectives-on-disability-equity-and-access/?fbclid=IwZnRzaARCHmFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeqzjC0U-Q3vEkHo4rkqms207opMWfTccdpvlxsgErsajzRHNyiB2Tq1yEpBU_aem_7ngmxDim0cfDASmMIdDBdA

Series: Human Rights: Contemporary Issues and Perspectives; Social Issues, Justice and Status BISAC: POL035010; PSY031000; SOC016000 DOI: https://doi.org/10.52305/QTWP6822

03/24/2026

Publication alert! Last year, Dr. Young was given the opportunity to contribute a chapter on older adults in the book Systemic Ableism (Chp. 10). She is incredibly proud of the outcome and can’t wait to share tidbits of it with you!

Series: Human Rights: Contemporary Issues and Perspectives; Social Issues, Justice and Status BISAC: POL035010; PSY031000; SOC016000 DOI: https://doi.org/10.52305/QTWP6822

03/24/2026

Never underestimate a harmful mother’s ability to turn an entire family against her child. “My child cut the whole family off” has a much better ring to it than “I carefully built a narrative to discredit my child.”

What narrative is being spread about you?

03/11/2026

As part of our work with family dynamics, we teach families to “fight better.” Many families have unexplored conflict patterns that result in unresolved problems or on-going friction. Sometimes, people in the family perpetuate patterns of conflict that are actually abusive. That pattern may or may not be intentional depending on the level of awareness and insight each person holds.

A common acronym for abusive conflict styles is DARVO, which stands for Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender. When confronted about hurtful behavior, the perpetrator first denies the behavior:

“That’s not true.”
“It didn’t happen that way.”
“It’s not my fault.”

Then, they go on the attack to discredit the person:

“You will do anything to be the center of attention.”
“You’re crazy!”
“Well you did _____. What about that?”

Last, they try to flip the story so that they are the true victim and the victim is actually the offender:

“You bringing this up is really hurting me.”
“I’m a great ____, and you’re just _____.”
“I’m the one who is suffering because you’re accusing me.”

The impact of DARVO is that the recipient doubts themselves, feels alone, retraumatized, and silenced. Not everyone who engages in this tactic is aware they are doing it. It could be part of a longstanding family pattern, and no one has learned another way…yet.

For those who are DARVO victims, remember to keep interactions BIFF: brief, informative, friendly, and firm. Don’t over-explain. A lot of folks struggle to take accountability.

For those who think they might engage in DARVO behavior: taking accountability for the impact of your behavior is a difficult and brave thing to do. It is a major relationship enhancer. Work with a therapist to become more open, a better active listener, and less defensive.

02/11/2026

Generations supports the healing and recovery of all victims of sexual abuse regardless of their age. Now more than ever, it’s important to let these survivors know they are seen, heard, and not alone. We hope each of them find justice. If you are struggling, RAINN is an excellent resource to start the path to healing.

How Does RAINN Help Survivors? No matter who you are, where you’re from, or what you’ve experienced, RAINN is here for you. Join Our Community

02/06/2026

Dr. Young and Dr. Laurent are avid readers, and we love offering and receiving recommendations!

Carrie & Me by Carol Burnett is a memoir about Burnett’s relationship with her eldest daughter, who struggled with addiction and spent time in rehab. That wasn’t the end of the story, though. Burnett and her daughter were able to work through their struggles and find meaningful, honest love and connection that exists beyond Carrie’s untimely death from cancer at 37.

One of my favorite passages is a diary entry by Burnett when her daughter is in rehab. She expresses frustration at the privileges her daughter had and how disappointing it is that she is on this path. Burnett quickly checks herself, though. She acknowledges that a life in which she herself had these same privileges at Carrie’s age simply doesn’t exist. Carrie is not Carol - she has her own life and struggles.

Burnett goes on to focus on how much she loves her daughter, through divorce, moves, and new adventures. She demonstrates a judgmental attitude at times but accepts she cannot impose those beliefs and expectations on to Carrie. Check it out!

01/18/2026

Having a few drinks to ease pain and soreness?

Actually, you might be doing more harm than good. While alcohol shuts down the parts of your brain that are thinking about pain, it also brings its inflammatory properties. That can lead to lingering pain flares in the long-term.

Aside from medication, there are lots of non-pharmacological ways to manage pain: heat, ice, massage, gentle stretching and movement, guided imagery, TENS, and more!