Have you ever been in a relationship where it felt like you and your partner were slipping into the roles of parent and child? In today’s show, we’re going to discuss common signs that you might be in a parentified relationship. We’re also going to discuss how parentification impacts sexual and relationship quality, as well as how to break this pattern.

I am joined once again by Dr. Kate Balestrieri, a licensed psychologist and certified sex therapist. She is the founder of Modern Intimacy, a counseling practice that operates in Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago. She is author of the new book What Happened to My Sex Life? A Sex Therapist’s Guide to Reclaiming Lost Desire, Connection, and Pleasure.

Some of the specific topics we explore include:

How do you know if you’re in a parentified relationship?
What are some common relationship dynamics that contribute to parentification?
How do early childhood experiences affect the relationship roles we take on?
How does parentification contribute to relationship stress and burnout?
Is it possible to change a parentified dynamic, or to prevent it from taking hold in the first place?

You can check out the Modern Intimacy website to learn more about Kate’s work.

Got a sex question? Send me a podcast voicemail to have it answered on a future episode at speakpipe.com/sexandpsychology.

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Credits: Precision Podcasting (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.

Episode 84 - Why we should create a funny character, and how to do so.