Dr. Harland Kessaris
We recently sat down with Dr. Harland Kessaris to talk about how to cope with the absence of a loved one during the holiday season and other questions asked by you. As a psychologist who specializes in re-entry of incarcerated individuals back into family and society, he was able to provide some insight into handling this potentially alienating time of year.
Dr. Kessaris stressed the importance of open communication between children, the incarcerated, and those caring for the children, “As much as you can you should include them [the incarcerated],” said Kessaris. “I think people need to be reminded, encouraged, and assisted in doing that.” For Kessari, the key is to make a sincere effort to connect personally.
Here are some tips from Dr. Kessaris:
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SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS: What tips do you have for coping with this period?
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Psychologist to answer your questions on coping with Holiday Season separation
Tiffani N. Garlic attends the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. She is a print student with a concentration on urban reporting. She graduates December 2008. Her work can be viewed on sheilaj.wordpress.com.
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This is a great post. I have a family member that is currently incarcerated and it’s definitely tough around the holidays, especially with kids involved. With the number of americans that are currently incarcerated or being incarcerate each days, having a resource like this is very helpful. I appreciate you putting this site together and talking about these tough issues. Well done.
I agree, holidays are the hardest for inmates and their families. I think the best thing to do is keep in contact with your loved one as much as possible during this time. Through phone calls, writing letters and emails as well as visitations.
Hi, opening up a site and I’ve started making somewhat diverse content. Would you object if I write something about this blog? Obviously I will provide you and this post due acknowledgment.
Thanks again for this post. Through phone calls and visitations, it really helped us to connect and express ourselves. Using some of your tips, this holiday season went well.