Letters That Healed a Father and Son

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Donald Cohen PhD, a marital and family therapist. He discussed the evolution of his relationship with his father, describing how they started with mutual tension but eventually grew closer through letter writing. He explained how he initially struggled with his father's intellectual pursuits while identifying as a basketball player, but later realized these issues stemmed from his own poor self-image. Writing letters to his father helped bridge their relationship, particularly after he became a father himself at age 31. The relationship improved significantly when Donald began writing a book, The Inside Ride: Letters Between Fathers and Sons, about their correspondence, culminating in a touching end where he would write letters for his father who had difficulty due to Parkinson's disease, and they expressed mutual love on national television. Download the transcript:https://backincontrol.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Transcript-Interview-3-w-Donald-Cohen.pdf Donald Cohen, Ph.D , is a licensed marital and family therapist, author and lecturer with over four decades of clinical experience. He holds an MSW from Columbia University and a PH. D. in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology. He completed a fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University Medical Center and maintains a private practice focused on family dynamics, communication, and personal growth. He is also the author of The Inside Ride: A Journey to Manhood - Letters between Father and Son. The book was co-written with his late father, Dr. Max Cohen and explores vulnerability, masculinity, and intergenerational healing through decades of personal correspondence. He has also published poetry collections, articles on child development and family communication, and hosted the television and radio program Kids Are Talking, currently featured on You Tube. His forthcoming book is Small Thoughts, Big Ideas. His work centers on the power of reflective writing to foster authentic connection, emotional honesty, and lasting legacy, particularly in father-son relationships. He lives in Connecticut. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices