Oftentimes it may be hard to set boundaries with those around us. Whether it is how to navigate moving out of the house and rediscovering those limitations with our parents, or addressing ongoing conflict with those important to us. Maybe, it might even be how to stop any communications with someone entirely. 

When thinking about this out loud, the intuitive solution might be, “Let’s just set boundaries!” It sounds easy enough, but it is actually very normal for it to be a bit more complicated than it seems, especially as a child of immigrants. The cultural layers someone holds may clash often with this concept of “boundaries”. This article goes into the nuances of boundaries and the intersections of growing up in an immigrant household and trying to say “no”. 

Oftentimes clients may come to therapy hoping to explore how to handle family dynamics. Whether it is how to navigate moving out of the house and mom is trying to have surprise visits, addressing conflict concerns with parent-in-laws, deciding whether or not to cut off a family member, or a mix or variation of all three.

Most therapists may intuitively think, “Oh, let’s explore how to set boundaries!” which is what we were trained to do! However, this can be very complicated for children of immigrants. This article goes into why this may be complicated and how to navigate its nuances with clients.