Managing Family Conflict During Covid – Shrinking It Down - MGH Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds

Managing Family Conflict During Covid – Shrinking It Down

Angry sulky child girl and annoyed mother sitting back to back on sofa not talking after fight

By Khadijah Booth Watkins, Associate Director and Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Topics: COVID-19 + Family Mental Health, Relationships

Since COVID-19, many families have spent more time together. A lot more time.

More time together than we’re used to + challenging times + uncertainty about the future + none of the outlets we’d typically use to recharge = a perfect storm for rising family conflict. Conflict between siblings, conflict between kids and parents, conflict between partners or other adults at home – all relationships feel up for grabs. What can we do to help?

As we launch a new season of ‘Shrinking It Down: Mental Health Made Simple,’ Dr. Gene Beresin and our new co-host, Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins, put their shrink caps on to delve into family conflict. They talk about how conflict manifests, strategies to prevent conflict, and ways to diffuse conflict and move towards resolution. Plus, Gene and Khadijah react to a high school student’s comment about conflict during quarantine. Tune in!

We hope that our conversation helps you to have yours. Do you have your own story about family conflict during COVID-19, or tips that have helped you to manage it? Write to us!

Media List

Follow along with the conversation.

Khadijah Booth Watkins, MD, MPH (MGH Clay Center)
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Residency of Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital (Massachusetts General Hospital)
When Your Dog Dies: Reflections on Losing Your Best Friend (MGH Clay Center)
Fiddler on the Roof (8/10) Movie CLIP – Miracle of Miracles (1971) HD (Movieclips)
2020 Compare Cities Climate: New York, NY vs Boston, MA (BestPlaces)
COVID-19 and College Students (MGH Clay Center)
There’s been a lot of talk about protecting our kids. But parents, you need support, too. (The Boston Globe)
Managing Challenging Behavior in Kids During Stressful Times, featuring J. Stuart Ablon, PhD (MGH Clay Center)
Is Your Family Experiencing Greater Conflict During a Time of Self-Quarantine? (The New York Times)
What Students Are Saying About Family Conflict In Quarantine (The New York Times)
Pandemic 2020 Resources (The Family Dinner Project)
You Can’t Always Get What You Want (Live) – OFFICIAL (The Rolling Stones)
Pittsburgh Steelers defeat Cleveland Browns, move to 5-0 for just second time (ESPN)
Five Parenting Tips for Civility and Coping With the Political Climate (MGH Clay Center)

Tune in wherever you get your podcasts – just search for ‘Shrinking It Down.’

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan

Music by Gene Beresin

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Khadijah Booth Watkins, Associate Director

Khadijah Booth Watkins, MD, MPH, is associate director of the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and the Associate Director of the Child and...

To learn more about Khadijah, or to contact her directly, please see Our Team.

Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Gene Beresin, MD, MA is executive director of The MGH Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, and a staff child and adolescent psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is also...

To learn more about Gene, or to contact him directly, please see Our Team.