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Sibling rivalry often accompanies jealousy, competitive feelings, and fighting between brothers and sisters. Problems typically begin immediately after the birth of the second child as the older sibling feels challenged and distressed because of the newborn. These rivalries usually persist through childhood and can cause serious unrest in the home, as sibling conflict quickly turns to parental conflict during attempts to resolve disputes. Sibling rivalry is extremely common. Children and siblings can't always get along, and all parents have to deal with these conflicts at some point. Many parents struggle when sibling conflicts challenge their fantasy notion of a perfectly loving home, but not all rivalries are necessarily bad.
In some cases, sibling rivalry and conflict can be healthy.
In less extreme and chronic situations, sibling rivalries can teach children important life lessons. Siblings are the first peer group that your children will be exposed to, and conflicting family interactions represent their first opportunities to learn and practice conflict resolution, compromise, and stress management skills. Our job as parents is to leverage that.
Some factors might include:
It is clear that parental behaviour is a key component when weighing your child's likelihood of developing a sibling rivalry. For this reason, treating sibling rivalry often goes beyond child therapy session, it’s a family business. Tamar's therapy model can teach your child to identify, challenge, and replace negative and jealous thoughts about their sibling, and can also help treat any anxiety or depressive thoughts that their sibling conflicts may have triggered.
If you or a loved one can relate to any of the symptoms from the list above, fill out this form to get in touch with Tamar and become proactive about the healing process. Tamar will contact you within a day.
"My focus is to accommodate every patient and offer the attention they require to achieve optimal mental wellness at their pace, while achieving the greatest progress. I work closely with each patient to find a treatment model that empowers them, and follow an eclectic, adaptable multi-modality approach that embraces the uniqueness of each individual.
I work with patients of all ages - from as young as 4 years old - and am always available to schedule a session. So let’s start by sitting together to talk about your challenges. It’s the first step to equip your child, yourself, or a loved one with the skills needed for a happier, more fulfilled life."
- Tamar Spilberg. call at 647 - 885 - 8756
9901 Keele St. Unit #109
Maple, ON. L6A 3Y5
1118 Centre St. Suite #205
Thornhill, ON. L4J 7R9