Everybody falls on hard times every once in a while. But when it’s a family member, it makes it especially hard to figure out how to navigate the emotional and financial territory. In a sort of irony, people who go through hard times more often deal with them better eventually. So it’s almost like you are practicing working through parts of your family troubles as you run into them more frequently.
How do you maintain what is required for these types of conflicted situations? There is always the option of family therapy. If a family member is in legal trouble, you can help them by talking with attorneys and law firms. And then there’s also the thorny issue of money. If a family member is in financial need, is it better to give them money and enable their behavior, or to show some tough love and to try and figure out how to help them fix themselves without getting any cash from you?
Family Therapy
One good first option if you’re trying to help family members in times of need is to go to family therapy. A lot of times, the essential issue is bound in some psychological wrapping. Going to a few good family therapy sessions can help people unravel the root of their problem, thereby freeing up some time, space, and energy to work through their own issues first and then the surrounding points with their family later. You don’t have to be intimidated by family therapy. There are plenty of different practitioners that have different types of energy that they bring to the table to suit your needs.
Legal Help
A second time to help family members out is if they require legal counsel. For example, what if a family member doesn’t know how to get Social Security disability? In that case, you can help them by researching the topic, finding a good lawyer, and sending them to a good law firm. Specific legal issues can be very sticky if you don’t know what you’re getting into, so bringing your energy and expertise into a situation with a family member can be a dramatic benefit to them if they don’t know what else to do.
The Issue With Money
Finally, when should you loan family members money? It is also a very thorny issue. Sometimes family members have gotten into financial trouble because of their actions and intentions that had no thought behind it. Just because a family member is lousy at budgeting, this doesn’t mean that you should bail them out. Parents and children have particularly interesting situations when it comes to money because patterns are set up over a lifetime. It can be challenging to work through this.
How To Protect Your Family Emotionally and Legally
