Kathryn de Bruin Family Therapy and Training

12/31/2025

As we close out the year, take a moment to pause and reflect on everything you’ve navigated — the growth, the challenges, the healing, the resilience, and the quiet steps forward that may have gone unnoticed.

New Year’s Eve often brings a mix of excitement, anticipation, and pressure. But instead of focusing on resolutions or “fixing” anything about yourself, consider this gentler invitation:
✨ What brought you strength this year?
✨ What moments felt meaningful or grounding?
✨ How can you carry compassion for yourself into the year ahead?

Growth doesn’t require a fresh start at midnight — it unfolds slowly, through awareness, connection, and intention.

Wherever tonight finds you — celebrating, reflecting, or resting — I hope you enter the new year with hope, clarity, and a deep sense of your own worth.

Wishing you a peaceful New Year’s Eve and a 2026 filled with connection and healing. ✨

12/29/2025

Family life is beautiful, but it can also be messy and complicated. Even the most loving families experience moments of disconnection — misunderstandings, tension, hurt feelings, or patterns that repeat despite everyone’s best intentions. When communication breaks down, it can leave both parents and children feeling unheard, overwhelmed, or unsure of how to move forward.
This is where Family Therapy can make a powerful difference.

Family Therapy creates a supportive, structured space where each person’s voice matters. It helps families slow down the conflict, understand the emotions underneath the behaviors, and learn healthier ways of responding to one another.

In our work together, families discover how to:
✨ Express emotions openly and safely
✨ Break out of negative cycles
✨ Strengthen trust and communication
✨ Understand one another’s needs more clearly
✨ Reconnect after periods of stress or distance
There is always a path forward when a family is willing to pause, reflect, and work together with support. Healing often begins with one small step.

I’m grateful to now offer Family Therapy sessions here in Utah, and I look forward to supporting families who want to build stronger, more connected relationships.

12/27/2025

Family gatherings can bring joy and warmth — but they can also bring stress, old patterns, and emotional triggers. Many people feel pressure to keep the peace or meet expectations, even when their nervous system is asking for space.

If the holidays feel emotionally complicated for you or your family, here are some grounding tools to help:
✨ Set gentle internal boundaries.
You don’t have to share everything, stay in every conversation, or say “yes” to every request. Quiet boundaries protect your emotional wellbeing.
✨ Have a “reset plan.”
A short walk, a moment outside, slow breathing, or a bathroom break can calm the nervous system when you’re overwhelmed.
✨ Name your needs with softness.
Try: “I’m going to take a moment” or “I need a little space to regroup.”
Clear communication prevents escalation.
✨ Prepare your child.
Talk openly about what to expect — who will be there, what activities might happen, when breaks can happen. Predictability helps kids feel safe.
✨ Offer yourself compassion.
Navigating family dynamics is hard work. Taking care of your emotional safety is not avoiding connection — it’s making healthy connection possible.

The holidays can hold both joy and challenge. You deserve support, softness, and space to be human.

12/25/2025

Wishing everyone a warm and gentle Christmas Day.

For many, today is filled with connection, tradition, and joy. For others, it may bring mixed emotions, memories, or the weight of expectations. Wherever you find yourself today — celebrating, resting, grieving, or simply getting through — your feelings are valid.

This season is a reminder of how important it is to slow down, breathe deeply, and give yourself permission to be exactly where you are. Connection doesn’t always look like a full room; sometimes it’s one meaningful conversation, a quiet moment of gratitude, or a small gesture of kindness.

Whether you are surrounded by loved ones or holding space for yourself, I hope today brings you moments of peace, comfort, and warmth.

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas.

12/24/2025

Always fun teaching EFIT

Help your clients create lasting change with Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT). This course provides a clear, attachment-based roadmap for working with individuals, grounded in research and focused on emotion regulation, resilience, and secure connection.

Join us for this EFIT training and deepen your confidence in working with individuals using a structured, evidence-based approach.

Learn more and register here: https://bit.ly/4pDFmFC

is for me

12/24/2025

Teaching for Ukraine. A privilege of a lifetime! My Sunday 5am!!! With a full heart!

12/23/2025

I love love love my new clocks!!!! Aren’t they just divine?

12/22/2025

Children experience big feelings just like adults do — but they don’t always have the words to describe what’s happening inside. Naming emotions is a skill that takes time, guidance, and practice, and many children need support learning how to identify and express what they’re sensing in their bodies.

One gentle way to help is by offering another form of communication:
“Can you draw what you’re feeling?”

When children are encouraged to draw their emotions, they often reveal things they can’t yet articulate. A swirling scribble might show overwhelm. A tiny figure in the corner might represent loneliness. Bright colors might reflect excitement or joy. Drawing gives kids a safe, non-threatening outlet to explore what’s happening in their emotional world.

This simple tool also helps parents and caregivers understand a child’s internal experience — creating opportunities for conversation, connection, and comfort.

Emotional expression isn’t just about naming feelings; it’s about feeling seen, supported, and understood. And sometimes, a crayon and a piece of paper can open the door.

12/20/2025

One of our SV-EFFT Team Trainers wrote a book for kids about how to overcome anxiety. We are SUPER proud of her. Congrats Kathryn de Bruin on your new book!!! BUY IT NOW! The link is in the comments!

12/20/2025

Holiday traditions aren’t just festive — they help children feel safe, connected, and rooted in belonging. While big celebrations are wonderful, it’s often the small emotional rituals that stay with a child long after the season ends.

Here are some simple traditions that build emotional connection:
✨ Sharing gratitude.
Each family member says one thing they appreciated about the day, the season, or each other. This builds connection and emotional awareness.
✨ Lighting candles together.
A gentle, grounding ritual that signals calm and togetherness. It can also be a meaningful way to honor loved ones or reflect on the year.
✨ Telling stories.
Kids love hearing stories about their parents’ childhoods, favorite memories, or family traditions. Storytelling strengthens identity and belonging.
✨ Creating a “feelings check-in.”
Ask: “What was something fun today? What was something hard?”

This small ritual teaches emotional literacy and normalizes a range of feelings during the holidays.

You don’t need elaborate plans to create magic. The rituals your children will remember most are the ones that made them feel loved, safe, and connected.

12/17/2025

So much of our emotional world is shaped by the relationships around us — the ones we grew up in, the ones we are building now, and the ones we hope to repair or strengthen. Whether I’m working with children through Play Therapy, supporting couples through EFT, or guiding families toward healthier communication, one truth remains the same:

Healing begins with emotional connection.

It’s the moment a child feels truly seen during play…
It’s the moment a couple softens enough to hear each other differently…
It’s the moment a family shifts from conflict to curiosity…
Connection creates safety.
Safety creates openness.
Openness creates change.

Therapy isn’t just about techniques — it’s about fostering relationships where growth can happen. When people feel understood and supported, they naturally begin to move toward healing.
Wherever you are on your journey, remember:
You don’t have to navigate it alone. Connection can be the starting point.

12/16/2025

Teaching Emotionally Focused Therapy is one of my greatest joys, and I’m always deeply moved by the experiences students share after a training. In November 2025, I taught the Fundamentals of Emotionally Focused Therapy online, and one of our participants shared this generous feedback:

“Kathryn was dynamite — her knowledge, empathy, pace, and ability to share insight as appropriate.”

Facilitating EFT training means creating a space where therapists not only learn new skills, but also feel supported in their own growth as clinicians. Hearing that the experience lands with warmth, clarity, and connection means so much.

This work continues to inspire me, and I’m grateful for every student who brings their openness and curiosity into the training room — whether online or in person.

If you’re a therapist interested in strengthening your EFT foundations, I’d love to welcome you to a future course.