Dr. Nari Jeter, Marriage and Family Therapist

05/22/2026

Adult children struggling with their parents can look past parents who wanted their children to be successful, or who were busy, tired, had limited means, or had to work hard to provide.

What adult children today can't reckon with is the emotionally unhealthy backdrop of how parents dealt with their own feelings.....when they feared for their children's future..disagreed with children's decisions..or had needs/wants the parents couldn't meet.

If you have an adult child who isn't speaking to you right now, that can be extremely painful. That's why I will say this clearly and plainly:

If you want to repair that relationship, you must come to terms with your children having different experiences and feelings about how they were raised than you have about raising them.

They experienced their childhood as a child. You experienced their childhood as an adult.

Get curious.
Ask questions.
Validate their childhood feelings that they experienced through the mind, heart, and body of a childhood.

Forgive yourself.
Express regret.
Ask for forgiveness.
Learn how to do better (maybe therapy would help).

When parents and adult children are both willing to try, it can get better.

05/08/2026

🧠Most of my clients know what boundaries they want to set. Their intuition is spot on. They’re not bad at setting boundaries.

They’re just afraid to set them because of what might come after.

The disappointment.�The conflict.�The guilt.�The distance.�The possibility that someone may see a version of you they don’t like.

Boundaries aren’t hard because you’re weak.
�They’re hard because they change relationships.Boundaries aren’t hard because you’re weak.�They’re hard because they change relationships.

❓But isn’t change what you need?

You know the boundary.
You know why you want to set it.

The next step is accepting and embracing what may come after.

04/16/2026

When all the details converge and you have that “ah-ha” moment! They say that word-of-mouth is the best advertising for a therapist 😂

Do we just want to do a group session? 🤔

But seriously, when a client recommends you to friends, that’s the highest compliment 💁🏻‍♀️

My Bestie Says My Therapist Says

04/10/2026

For all my fellow friends struggling with setting boundaries, people-pleasing, or over-functioning, remember this:

🚫Don’t focus on the losses.

You might lose a friend if you set that boundary.
You might not get picked for that project if you say “No.”
Your partner may be disappointed if you don’t fix things.

Those things may happen, but may not 🤷‍♀️. But with certainty, you will remain stuck in your role if you always see yourself as losing.

Your outcomes, your needs, your opportunities—they matter, too. Those are your wins! 🏆

Your “nos” and boundaries are fences—protecting what’s important to you—especially the life you want to build. Protecting what matters is rarely comfortable—it requires firmness and diligence. Don’t take the discomfort as a sign that you are doing it wrongly.

Remind yourself that every boundary set is a vote towards the life you want, the relationships you desire, and the person you want to be. 🗳️

❤️

03/25/2026

Women don't leave marriage all of a sudden. And generally, they don't quit. They get to a point of silent acceptance when other opportunities for change get passed by.

Want to know more? Read my post on Substack.

What looks like “sudden” divorce is often the end of a long, quiet process of disconnection. By Dr Nari Jeter, LMFT

03/22/2026

'Many adults are limiting or cutting off contact with their parents—not out of impulsivity or fragility, but as a boundary of last resort. In my therapy practice, I sit with people on both sides of this divide: adult children navigating guilt and grief after creating distance, and parents trying to understand how the relationship unraveled. What I see, over and over again, is this: estrangement is rarely about indifference. It’s about emotional exhaustion. What’s missing from the conversation is not whether estrangement is warranted, but what it costs (emotionally, relationally, and across generations), even when it is necessary."

by Dr. Nari Jeter, LMFT

03/22/2026

On my Substack, I'm sharing reflections the nuances of relationships, boundary setting, emotional maturity, and personal growth. Please come join me in this space!

Therapist and writer. A space for the inner work of being you—understanding our emotions, our relationships, and the patterns that shape how we love, connect, and set boundaries. Click to read The Work of Being You, a Substack publication. Launched 30 minutes ago.

03/02/2026

The most significant boundaries you can set and respect are the ones with yourself. 🤍

02/19/2026

Girl, go to therapy 😏

❤️