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About the Author
Hi, I’m Dr. B.
Bryan Post and I am
an adopted child.
I am the founder of the Post Institute for Family-Centered Therapy and author/co-author of several books, audio programs, and video programs on the topics of parenting, adoption, attachment, trauma, and therapy.
I have experienced first hand many of the struggles that you as a parent may be going through.
My adopted sister and I were difficult and challenging children.
As a child I set fires, killed animals, lied, and stole compulsively!
There can be great benefit in learning through the painful lessons of others.
Before I came across the information I have to share with you in this letter, I struggled hopelessly to help parents understand their children better and to build positive relationships.
Let me tell you how I arrived to this point.
Following graduate school, having earned a masters degree in social work, I was absolutely fired up about helping families change their lives. After all, I had spent countless hours studying this stuff in a classroom. Now I was ready to get to work in the real world.
In a matter of months, that’s right months, I was feeling completely overwhelmed by this profession. Nothing I had learned was even remotely beneficial in working with some of my early families.
I was working with children that were just like me when I was a child. Children that were seemingly driving their parents nuts!
I mean these kids were stealing from their mother's purses, running away, fighting with teachers in school, and being completely defiant to all authority!
And no one had a clue why!
I spent countless hours at juvenile detention centers and principle's offices.
These were the situations I was facing and let me tell you I was in way over my head, but hey, so was everyone else. Why?
Essentially, the same people had taught us all the same thing. The reality of the situation being that the professors with all their studies and academic experience, had very little actual clinical experience. And most importantly, their knowledge about the neuroscientific aspects of human dynamics was essentially nonexistent.
I can’t tell you how many hours I have sat in an office or home staring across the room at the face of a sad parent feeling helpless and hopeless over the experience of parenting her very challenging child.
I almost gave up!
To be honest with you, I had serious doubts as to whether I was cut out for this profession.
I remember telling several clients at one point that I was planning to retire and would have to refer them…I was only 25 years old! (I thought a construction job looked really tempting during some of those dark days!)
So the search continued. More education, that’s what I needed. If you don’t learn it at one level, go higher. That seems to be healthy rationale doesn’t it?
Wrong!
I studied even harder and got my Ph.D. in social work. With my Ph.D., my knowledge base was only Piled higher and Deeper (PhD) with more cognitive and behavioral paradigms.
Still no answers.
Finally, after years of questioning, studying, researching, failed therapy attempts, and tons of frustration, I finally discovered an understanding to family dynamics not taught in any of the books I studied in school. In fact, it’s not even available in any of the books at the local bookstore.
What I discovered has come from a vast combination of formal study, hiring professional mentors, and extensive independent study. What I realized is that I had to learn from a diverse arena of sciences to truly understand internal human dynamics as well as understanding the dynamics of families.
So why would you care?
You don't have to continue to struggle, like all those families.
Ten long and tedious years later, the understanding I have discovered has redefined everything that I do. After all these years, I am seeing success with families I have committed my life to helping.
I look forward to hearing your story of healing.
Dr. Bryan Post