CrownCounseling                                                                                               An Evidence Based Psychotherapy Practice                   

New!

Research on stress and children of alcoholics.

Click here.

Click "The Science of ACoA" below to view a PowerPoint presentation of what psychological science has found out about Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACoA). 

The Science of ACoA

ACoA

There are many forms of abuse that can leave children scarred. Abuse can include, but is not limited to just one of, the following:                       

Neglect   

Physical abuse

Sexual abuse

Emotional abuse

Therapy will help you find balance in your life.  Adults who were abused as children grew up in chaos, where no one admitted authentic feelings-and the children were forbidden their true feelings. You were never able to predict how your parents might act toward you so each day you walked on eggshells. Now perhaps people walk on eggshells around you. Or, you have retained old coping skills from the past that are now in the way of finding a balanced, happy and functional life for yourself. Therapy can help.

Isolation, people pleasing or both

Difficulty trusting other people--or trusting in others too much   

Social phobia or difficulty trusting authority figures--feeling uneasy with others                                                                                              Addiction issues or relationships with others with addiction issues  

Difficulties continued ...

Impulsivity                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Overdependence on other people   

Poor self-esteem--lack of firm identity--tending to attempt to blend in with others  

Poor mastery over emotions--either minimizing emotion, or tending to have explosive emotions   

Inability to identify an authentic self 

Poor assertiveness--either too compliant or too aggressive