Val Farmer 35 Years of Counseling

• Rural Topics
  • I. Family Farming and Ranching
    • 1. Purpose of Family Farming
    • 2. Business Communication and Organization
    • 3. Management Skills and Team-Building
    • 4. Human Resource Management - Non-family Employees
    • 5. Innovation and growth
    • 6. Relationships with Consultants, Suppliers
    • 7. Safety on Farm
    • 8. Conflict Resolution in Farm Family Relationships
    • 9. Common Dysfunctional Family Dynamics and Relationships
    • 10. In-law Relationships
    • 11. Succession of Management + Retirement
    • 12. Estate Planning and Ownership
    • 13. Parenting Farm Children
  • II. Farming and Marriage
    • 1. Partnership and Unity
    • 2. Perspectives of Women and Farming
    • 3. Perspectives of Men and Farming
    • 4. Troubled Marriages and Farming
    • 5. Divorce and Farming
    • 6. Debt, Farm Stress and Marital Problems
  • III. Farm Crisis and Stress
    • 1. Farm Crisis
    • 2. Coping
    • 3. Seeking help - Self-care
    • 4. Debt, Options, Farmers & Lenders
    • 5. Loss of Farm - Life after Farming
    • 6. Suicidal Risk
    • 7. How to Help Others
    • 8. Weather and Stress
    • 9. Post-Traumatic Growth
  • IV. Rural Life
    • 1. Rural Values and Culture
    • 2. Rural - Urban Differences
    • 3. Rural Leadership
    • 4. Rural Economic Development
    • 5. Rural Mental Health Issues
    • 6. Rural Education, Teen Drinking, Peer Pressure, and Sports
    • 7. Rural Aging
• General Topics
  • V. Personal Columns
    • 1. Childhood and Family memories
    • 2. Marriage + marital advice
    • 3. Parenting and grandparenting
    • 4. Special memories
    • 5. Writing for the public
    • 6. Collaborative Relationships
    • 7. Reader response and appreciation
    • 8. Retirement and final thoughts
  • VI. Relationships
    • 1. Courtships, Romance, Breakups.
    • 2. Cohabitation
    • 3. Happy marriages - overview
    • 4. Communications skills
    • 5. Common marital issues
    • 6. Intimacy and affection
    • 7. Affairs
    • 8. Forgiveness and Reconciliation
    • 9. Abusive relationships
    • 10. Divorce
    • 11. Parenting and divorce
    • 12. Single parents
    • 13. Step-parenting
    • 14. Courtship after divorce
  • VII. Parenting and Family Life
    • 1. Successful Parenting
    • 2. Challenge of parenting teenagers
    • 3. Peers, friendships and self-esteem
    • 4. Parenting Young Adults / Defining Generational Boundaries
    • 5. Education and role models
    • 6. Media, TV, Internet, Sex, Social Media and Pornography
    • 7. Grief, Suicide, Depression
    • 8. Holidays and family life
    • 9. Role of Sports in Society
  • VIII. Meeting Life's Challenges
    • 1. Graduation Advice
    • 2. College Advice
    • 3. Coping with Adversity
    • 4. Grief and Loss, Trauma
    • 5. Health
    • 6. Aging, Retirement, Caregiving
    • 7. Addictions
    • 8. Abuse victims
  • IX. Living the life You Want to Live
    • 1. Happiness
    • 2. Values and Goals
    • 3. Leadership
    • 4. Community and society