Articles | Princeton Family Institute

How to Help Children Cope with a School Shooting

December 19, 2012 | Written by Norbert Wetzel

I. How to help children cope with the news of the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

[I am numbed to hear of the horrible mass shooting at Newtown, Connecticut. My heart goes out to all the families and communities that have been impacted.
As a trauma specialist, family therapist, and parent I’m sharing a few things that I am focusing on with my elementary school age child and my family.
What you read below is for children and families who have not been directly impacted by the shooting. 12/15/2012]

Hurricane Sandy: Devastation and Strength in Families and Communities

November 30, 2012 | Written by Norbert Wetzel

The recent hurricane hit numerous families living in shore communities of New Jersey and New York with devastating power. Many clients of Princeton Family Institute work and live in communities that were directly affected. Countless people participated in the efforts to assist neighbors who lost their…

Beginning Psychotherapy

August 25, 2011 | Written by Hinda Winawer

Beginning psychotherapy or counseling is an important step, but often not an easy one. It is quite common to be uncomfortable or at least cautious about starting therapy. Indeed, caution and discomfort can be useful; they can alert us to important aspects of the decision-making process. Some people…

Part IV: Traumatic Family Experiences: Adolescent violence, drug abuse, and “mental illness"

August 23, 2011 | Written by Norbert Wetzel

This is the fourth in a series of four articles on adolescence.

I remember the parents well – a middle aged couple, they were very sad and communicated a sense of helplessness. The mother completed their story in a tone of resignation and pain: “The worst is that we cannot…