About Daniel McGrath
I recall a number of families who have come to me for help on similar types of issues over the years. The husband and wife were wonderful people, their children adorable and precious. But things weren’t going as they had dreamed. The love that was once strong was now strained.
Instead of blissful weekends at the beach, there was bickering and nastiness. Confusion on how their kids had learned to treat each other so horribly. Why couldn’t they just be civil to each other and be grateful for all the blessings that were right in front of them? Or a teenager heading off in a very alarming direction leaving them feeling helpless and exhausted. Frustrated from wanting to do better for their children than their own parents had done for them, but instead seeing moments of insanity unfold in front of them. And then the relief when things started getting better. The appreciation expressed through a neighbor or friend they referred to me years later.
People I have worked with consistently share their most challenging and rewarding experiences in life. How the best moments come in times of peace, calm, connection, prevailing through difficulty. Their wins are my wins too, not only because of the trust they have placed in me as they work through their challenges, but even more so because I relate so closely to many of the experiences they come to work on.
Being the father of 3, I can remember what it was like to be up at night wondering what I could do to give my children the best chances in life. Why rewards and consequences weren’t working, why one had been so difficult lately, how to get them to stop fighting, whether I was providing them with the right values, role modeling, schooling/teachers, medical care, diet, activities, friends…fill in the blank. Or sad that I could have handled a disagreement with my wife a whole lot better.
Even still, I have not forgotten my teens and twenties. How challenging they were, the uncertainty and confusion of which way to go on so many choices. And how the impact of the choices I made during those years has rippled through the decades, effecting my life so profoundly in ways both good and bad.
I have faced major career changes, lost close friends and treasured relationships. I’ve experienced loneliness and times of difficulty when I could just as easily have asked for help but didn’t realize it was available or didn’t think it would do any good, in the end allowing myself to sit in pain far longer than necessary. Contrast that with the times I wisely sought appropriate help, how much sooner I was able to do a better job of dealing with problems, many of which I had created myself.
These experiences have turned out to be great lessons for me. Helped me to appreciate that life is precious and goes by too fast to waste time arguing over petty things, or holding back because the ego doesn’t want to look foolish. Life is too important to let anything get in the way of what really counts, enjoying the time we have with the people we love and using our time wisely to move forward on the dreams we hold closest in our hearts.
I am a professional who sincerely cares about people and takes seriously the privilege of serving people in finding answers to their unique questions and solutions to the unique challenges they face in their daily lives.
I would love to have a chance to talk with you about any concerns you would like to put to rest and any challenges you would like to overcome. I invite you to call me today at (619)888-6444.