Peaceful Celebrations
Positive Planning for Life's Important Events
Peaceful Celebrations is a short-term consultation/counseling program designed to help individuals (and their families) plan for an important life event, such as a wedding, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, confirmation, or graduation, in a way that will lead to an experience memorable for its joys rather than its sorrows.
Too often, a major break or conflict in one's family (including divorce, re-marriage, trauma, or loss) has the power to influence such celebrations. Such discord, whether recent or from the distant past, casts a shadow that interferes with the pleasure usually associated with these special days.
This program consists of a series of consultation sessions with the family, as a group and/or individually, in which many topics are explored, including:
- Who will be involved in the actual planning of the event and associated celebration(s)?
- How are the financial aspects of the event being handled?
- How can appropriate participation be designed in the most positive, least hurtful way?
- If there are step-parents involved, what could or should be their role?
Positive Planning may require only 1½ to 3 hours. For many families, 3 - 6 hours will be needed.
Methods and Goals:
- Validating participants' feelings
- Maintaining mutual respect
- Exploring a variety of options
- Reaching acceptance of a plan that feels comfortable to the major participants