“Being a therapist has helped me not allow obstacles that present itself to get the best of not just my mindset, but also the people around me.” It has been Doctor TK’s passion to provide premarital counseling not only with individuals in her private practice, but also within her personal life. In order to inspire people to lead an abundant lifestyle, she’s generous enough to disclose a context of her personal life that provides teachable moments and sparks ideas how to approach a particular dilemma. Today’s episode is dedicated to those struggling with co-parenting issues and for those in a relationship with someone who has a kid. Doctor TK shares how it is to be a bonus mom and how she was able to utilize her psychological skill set to help her implement particular reframing thinking patterns, coping skills, and assertive communication.

 

Podcast Goal: 
Learn the skills that helped Doctor TK fulfill her role as a bonus mom while overcoming co-parenting obstacles together with her husband


 

Episode Timeline:
What is Doctor TK’s definition for ‘bonus mom’? [00:53]


The reason why Doctor TK chose the topic for this episode [01:06]


A backstory of how she met her husband and coping up with a relationship between him, his child, and the child’s biological mother [02:45]


When they decided to cohabitate, Doctor TK shares her intention to meet the child’s biological mother [06:30]


After getting the chance to introduce herself, how did their first encounter turn out? [11:34]


Seeing her ‘bonus kid’ as her own: Doctor TK shares how she recognizes him as her own while making him understand she’s not taking his mother’s place. She also raised some concerns on possible conflicts due to lifestyle differences and co-parenting stipulations they have to fulfill [13:45]


Having high level of empathy: Doctor TK shares what it takes to understand how hard it is for a child to adjust between two different homes and overcoming empathy issues [18:05]


Communication: Doctor TK refers to this as the most important skill, shares how helpful constructive feedbacks are when adapting and coping with co-parenting issues [20:18]


Recap to the 3 skills that helped her become a great bonus mom [21:58]






 
Standout Quote from Doctor TK:
“My understanding of us doing premarital counseling — one part of it in church — is I love the way my bishop coined it: We don’t have a stepson, we just stepped into a new situation, a new season in our life.” [14:07]


 

Resources Mentioned:

Take Private Practice Quiz 

Learn more about the Dope Therapist Private Practice Academy 


 

Connect:
Find | Doctor TK 

On Instagram: @DoctorTKPsych

On Facebook: @DoctorTKPsych

On Pinterest: @DoctorTKPsych

On Youtube: @Doctor TK

 

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