Joan A. Friedman
Twin Therapist/ Author
Dr. Friedman is a prominent and well-respected twin expert who shares her passionate views and insights about twins and their emotional needs with twins and their families throughout the world. The fact that she is an identical twin and the mother of five, including fraternal twin sons, makes her ideally suited to this task. Her commitment to twin research and her treatment of twins of all ages demonstrate the breadth and depth of her skills and experience. She conducts groups for parents of twins and provides consultation about twin-related matters such as school placements, developmental discrepancies, behavioral issues, and individuation struggles. Her first book, Emotionally Healthy Twins, has received critical acclaim as a unique resource for understanding how twins develop and what parents can do to manage and understand twin-specific challenges as twins mature. Dr. Friedman recently finished her new and exciting book about the relationship intricacies of adult twins, titled The Same but Different: How Twins Can Live, Love and Learn to be Individuals, which was released in February 2014. She has earned doctorates from two prestigious psychoanalytic training programs in southern California. Her social work experience in community mental health facilities and hospitals has contributed to her unique perspectives about child development and parenting.
Episodes for this expert
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What Adult Twins Want You to Know
If your little ones could tell you what they are really thinking and how they feel about your twin parenting strategy, what would they say? Would they tell you that they love dressing alike or absolutely hate it? Will they ever appreciate all the effort that you have put into giving them opportunities to express themselves as an individual? Today we can hit the “fast forward button” and talk to adult twins about their experience growing up and what they wished their parents knew when they were young. And we will get a professional perspective from twin expert Dr. Joan Friedman.
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Teaching Your Twins to Embrace Individuality
As twin parents, when we watch our kids grow and develop, we see our twins’ unique relationship manifested through cycles of sibling rivalry and interdependence. These cycles can last days, hours, or minutes but always seem to hinge on the element of sameness. So, how can we help nudge our twins towards alternatives? How can we help them embrace their twindom while still standing out in a crowd?
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Fairness and Equality: Treating Twins the Same
When your babies are born within minutes of each other, it’s sometimes difficult to treat them differently. After all, they did share a womb for several months. However, the pressure to treat your twins the same often leads to intense sibling rivalry and competition, amongst other things. So, how can you be fair to your twins without feeling like everything must be shared or split equally?
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Twin Developmental Milestones: Social and Emotional
The social and emotional development of twins is a bit different when compared to singletons. Their innate ability to communicate with one another may appear more advanced, but what happens when you look at each twin individually? As a parent, how do you encourage proper development for each child? And what type of advantages and disadvantages do twins commonly have socially and emotionally when compared to singletons?
