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Office Hours

With Dr. Janet Steinkamp & Bri Steinkamp

Office Hours is a guided, live conversation space for estranged parents who are seeking steadiness, clarity, and a more grounded way forward. Office Hours will also be scheduled for adult children to attend. We use this approach to ensure both parties can safely and openly discuss their challenges.


Our conversations are shaped by what you've learned through the When Our Adult Children Walk Away services. As you are aware, our work is rooted in the reality that estrangement is not a single event, but a continuum of relationship fracture that can shift, stabilize, and, in many cases, repair.


Each Office Hours gathering is coached as a question and answer conversation led by me, Dr. Janet Steinkamp, alongside my (once estranged) adult daughter, Bri. Together, we offer both the parents' and the adult child's perspectives in real time, without taking sides, assigning blame, or reinforcing harmful narratives.


My professional work is grounded in healthy relationship dynamics, estrangement grief, and healthy communication behavior, including the application of the Wiley DiSC interpersonal behavior (i.e., communication) assessment to help parents better understand how their communication patterns are experienced by their adult children. This foundation guides every Office Hours conversation.


Bri joins as a co-facilitator, bringing the experience and lived perspective of an estranged adult child. From time to time, additional guests or family members may join us to broaden the conversation.

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We recognize our experience is only ours. It is not yours. And yet, because of our individual professional experience and training, combined with the long road we've walked together to reestablish a healthier and mutually respectful relationship, we can offer insights and perspectives that may shed light on your own circumstances.

Upset older mother in law and adult daughter sit back to back not talking after fight disa

What We Focus On:

Office Hours will center on topics such as:

  • Themes from recent podcast episodes and YouTube content

  • Estrangement dynamics, the unique grief of no-contact and the Continuum of Estrangement

  • Communication patterns and how they are interpreted differently across generations

  • Misaligned expectations, values, and boundaries

  • Thoughtful, regulated contact strategies

  • This is a space for learning, reflection, and recalibration.

What to Expect​

Office Hours are:
 

  • A safe, non-judgmental space

  • Grounded in respectful listening and curiosity

  • Focused on education, guidance, and perspective

Office Hours are not:
 

  • Therapy

  • Legal advice

  • A crisis service

  • A space for individual storytelling or personal case sharing

Our Goal:
 

The goal of Office Hours is to offer steady, informed guidance to people navigating the confusion, pain and helplessness of faltering and no-contact relationships. Conversations during Office Hours are intended to support future interactions grounded in strong self-awareness, respect and confidence, emotional regulation, reduced reactivity, and the creation of reciprocal boundaries.​

Who Benefits from Attending Office Hours?

Office Hours are for people who:

  • Are ready to be reflective listeners

  • Are willing to engage as curious learners

  • Want to better understand how to stabilize and de-escalate emotionally intense interactions

  • Are navigating relationships that sit somewhere on the Continuum of Estrangement

Office Hours are structured as:

  • time with experienced and trained coaches

  • affordable live question and answer sessions

  • time to openly ask questions without shame or embarrassment

  • time to gain clarification and insights

Book a Session

If you are looking to process your personal story in depth, that work is best supported in 1:1 coaching. We will actively encourage participants to move away from storytelling during Office Hour gatherings.  


If you are in crisis or need immediate emotional support, please engage appropriate and reliable services before attending Office Hours. Conversations may be highly emotional, and it is important to have support in place. Please seek support from a licensed mental health professional or a local crisis resource. Check out the When Our Adult Children Walk Away resources.​

Disclaimer
The information shared during Office Hours conversations is for educational and informational purposes only. They are not intended as a substitute for professional mental health care, medical advice, or legal counsel. Participation does not establish a therapeutic relationship.

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