CUTV News Radio spotlights Dr. Janis Johnston

Oak Park, IL – Dr. Janis Johnston is a psychologist specializing in family life development, or the development of family dynamics over the life cycle. Dr. Johnston and her clients explore family dynamics in a holistic way: how they grow and how they change in positive ways.

According to Dr. Johnston, when raising a child, parents must re-negotiate their own unmet needs that surface from their childhoods as their children pass through phases of development.

Dr. Johnston is the author of It Takes a Child to Raise a Parent, which offers a guide for parent-child interactions for current parents and those who are considering becoming parents. The book maps the healthy development of children within a context of developing parents.

“All parents are parents-in-training,” says Dr. Johnston. “I really believe that parents stand to learn as much from their children as the kids learn from mom and dad. A child's issues can bring up memories of times that a parent experienced some challenge. When a parent acknowledges their own unmet childhood needs, they can begin to repair that trauma from their youth.”

Of course, parents must navigate their own journey as individuals as well. This idea runs most strongly though Dr. Johnston’s second book Midlife Maze: A Map to Recovery and Rediscovery After Loss.

“My hope is that individuals develop a growth mindset, opening themselves to creativity and learning, especially about their personalities,” says Dr. Johnston. “With intention, one can cope with the many challenges in one’s life while still growing as an individual, a parent, and as a caring family member.”

For more information on Dr. Janis Johnston, visit www.janisjohnston.com.