Many of the behaviors that show up in adult relationships — defensiveness, emotional shutdown, perfectionism, people-pleasing, fear of conflict — often begin as survival strategies long before adulthood.
At a recent conversation hosted by The Family Institute at Northwestern University — a Make It Better 2026 Philanthropy Award winner — licensed marriage and family therapist and author Vienna Pharaon joined Nancy Burgoyne, the Institute’s Chief Clinical Officer, to unpack how childhood wounds shape the way people love, communicate, and protect themselves — and what healing can truly look like in practice.
Explore therapist and bestselling author Vienna Pharaon’s 10 Insights on Healing Childhood Wounds and Building Healthier Connections.
