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Therapy for Adult Siblings

Therapy for Adult Siblings

Sibling relationships are often the longest-lasting bonds of our lives—stretching from childhood into adulthood. These connections carry shared history, deep familiarity, and the potential for lifelong support. Yet they can also be complicated by old rivalries, unresolved conflicts, or family dynamics that linger long after childhood.

As adults, siblings may face new challenges around caregiving, inheritance, or shifting family roles—while still carrying the emotional imprints of the past. Therapy provides a safe, supportive space to heal old wounds, strengthen communication, and build healthier patterns of relating.

Why Adult Sibling Therapy Matters

Common struggles siblings bring into therapy include:

  • Unresolved Childhood Dynamics – Rivalry, favoritism, or competition that still influences adult relationships
  • Communication Breakdowns – Difficulty expressing needs, listening, or handling disagreements constructively
  • Family Role Shifts – Navigating caregiving responsibilities for aging parents or other major transitions
  • Boundaries & Independence – Balancing closeness with autonomy and individuality
  • Healing Past Wounds – Addressing unresolved trauma, neglect, or sibling estrangement
  • Blended Families & Step-Siblings – Building understanding and trust in expanded family structures
  • Life Transitions – Adjusting sibling bonds during marriage, parenthood, relocation, or loss
  • Strengthening Connection – Building deeper trust, support, and empathy in adulthood

Left unaddressed, these challenges can fuel resentment, distance, or ongoing stress. With affirming support, therapy can help siblings rebuild trust, improve communication, and transform their relationship into a source of connection and strength.

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Therapy for Adult Siblings

Sibling bonds carry both shared memories and complex dynamics. While they can be a source of love and lifelong support, they may also be marked by rivalry, conflict, or painful patterns that resurface in adulthood.

Our goal in therapy is to help you and your siblings understand one another more deeply, resolve long-standing issues, and create healthier, more supportive relationships.

Together, we work on healing old wounds, strengthening communication, and developing tools to navigate sibling dynamics with compassion, clarity, and respect.

Common Areas of Focus in Adult Sibling Therapy

  • Unresolved Childhood Patterns – Addressing rivalries, favoritism, or unmet needs that still affect adult dynamics.
  • Communication Challenges – Learning to express feelings openly, listen effectively, and reduce misunderstandings.
  • Family Role Transitions – Navigating caregiving responsibilities, inheritance issues, or shifting family structures.
  • Boundaries & Independence – Balancing closeness with autonomy while maintaining healthy limits.
  • Healing Estrangement – Reconnecting after distance or repairing sibling bonds impacted by conflict.
  • Blended & Step-Sibling Dynamics – Building trust and understanding within expanded family systems.
  • Life Transitions – Managing changes such as marriage, parenthood, relocation, or loss.
  • Strengthening Connection – Creating deeper trust, empathy, and lifelong support.

Sibling Relationship Assessment

Two of the most common questions siblings ask are:

  • “Why do we keep falling into the same patterns?”
  • “Is it possible to have a better relationship with my sibling now?”

In therapy, we offer a Sibling Relationship Health Assessment to help identify your current strengths and challenges across five domains:

  1. Communication & Conflict Resolution – How siblings share, listen, and repair after disagreements
  2. Emotional Resilience – Handling frustration, hurt, or disappointment without escalating conflict
  3. Boundaries & Roles – Clarity around responsibilities, expectations, and personal space
  4. Family Dynamics & Transitions – Adjusting to caregiving, aging parents, or major changes
  5. Connection & Support – Building trust, care, and mutual respect

This assessment creates a roadmap for growth, offering strategies to build more balanced and fulfilling sibling relationships.

Tailored Therapeutic Approaches

Every sibling relationship is unique, so we customize therapy to your needs using:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – To reframe unhelpful thought patterns and reduce reactivity in sibling interactions.
  • Mindfulness & Somatic Practices – To regulate emotions and manage stress during difficult conversations.
  • Attachment-Based Therapy – To explore how early family experiences shape current sibling dynamics.
  • Communication & Conflict Skills Training – To practice healthier ways of listening, expressing, and resolving disagreements.
  • Compassion-Focused Support – To build empathy, reduce blame, and foster understanding across differences.

Adult sibling therapy empowers you to move beyond old wounds, improve communication, and build stronger lifelong bonds with the people who have known you the longest.

Therapy for Adult Siblings

What Our Clients Say

I am blown away! I don’t write testimonials, unless I have been extremely moved by something. I was blessed to...

I am blown away! I don’t write testimonials, unless I have been extremely moved by something. I was blessed to work with Brooke on a single session, and before this I was in therapy on and off with multiple therapists for the last 20 years of my life. Brooke was able to do more in one session than many years of work with my previous therapist. She has the true gift of great insight and compassion while also getting straight to the heart of your blind spots and unconscious issues in a way that has truly changed my life.

Skyler J.

There are people who are good at their work there are people like Brooke: who are born to do it....

There are people who are good at their work there are people like Brooke: who are born to do it. I cannot recommend Brooke more highly. I can only imagine where I would be today if I had started working with her years ago. From the beginning of our session, she knew exactly what tools and questions that would work for my particular psychology and my personal experience. No other therapist has been able to do that or anything close.

What I also really appreciate from our session is Brooke's ability to go directly to the source of the issue while also keeping a very gentle and kind energy with me. I felt very seen, understood, and supported. Everything and more that I could have ever asked for from a therapist. I have a severe trauma history and complex issues she was able to immediately identify and help. If she could help me, I know she can help you too.

Taylor E.

You did more in 45 minutes than my last therapist did in a year.

You did more in 45 minutes than my last therapist did in a year.

Jamie

With your help, I've finally started to understand that while my vivid imagination often wants to create terrifying monsters under...

With your help, I've finally started to understand that while my vivid imagination often wants to create terrifying monsters under the bed, in a lot of cases those monsters are nothing more than a heap of decidedly less-terrifying laundry I've avoided for too long that just needs to be aired out and put away. Which is definitely a lot easier than monster slaying. Thank you for shedding light in the dark places I was too afraid to face alone.

Morgan B.

I am extremely fortunate to work with Sydney, who is helping me create real internal change. The talent to listen...

I am extremely fortunate to work with Sydney, who is helping me create real internal change. The talent to listen well is Hall of Fame stuff, and she has that. She then follows with questions, strategies that are organic to the moment. I have come to believe that deep, radical, if occasionally deeply painful change ... and, then, healing can happen. I'm just at the lip of that last part - but would not have gotten there, AT ALL, without Sydney

Ric K.

The best therapist ever! Life-changing 🙂

The best therapist ever! Life-changing 🙂

Catherine H.

Right now, the work is changing my life, sometimes in inches, sometimes in miles.

Right now, the work is changing my life, sometimes in inches, sometimes in miles.

Ric K.

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We find you the perfect therapist – or your money back.
Therapist and client in a counseling session.