Welcome back from college! Who are you and what have you done with my child? Parents welcoming a college freshman back into the home following a successful first semester may find a very different person upon returning home. Hopefully, the first semester has been a resounding success from an academic, extracurricular, and social perspective. New…
In a previously published blog, Dr. Jayne Walco reminds us that each transgender person’s journey is unique and different issues can arise at different ages. Is it a boy or a girl? That is often the first question of new parents or parents-to-be and leads to a host of assumptions about the nature of their…
As the holidays approach, so do some of the busiest travel days of the year. Many of us will be flying to visit friends and relatives and some just to get away for a break during a busy time of year. Booking a trip is exciting, but what if the mere thought of flying causes…
It is virtually impossible today to turn on the news without encountering a story of a man who has behaved badly sexually. Understandably, the initial response of many of us is to be offended, angry, repulsed, and/or demanding he be punished. However, it concerns me that our reactions can be so swift, punitive and judgmental.…
Last year I wrote about leadership and I lamented that leadership traits seemed to be lacking among too many of our political leaders. I also noted that the presidential election featured two candidates with high unfavorability ratings and I questioned why a country that produced innovative companies such as Apple, Google and Facebook, could not…
Parents today too often find themselves speaking to their children about the violence that seems to permeate the news. The recent massacre in Las Vegas raises questions for kids of all ages and has triggered many parents to ask us how to talk to them about it. First take a moment to consider your own…
Can you teach empathy? I get this question a lot from friends, parents, and parents of patients. The answer is not that simple. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Some kids just seem to be born more empathetic than others. These kids are the ones who cry because someone…
If you are a parent of a 6th grader or older teen in Middle or High school, then you should probably know about the Netflix TV series, “13 Reasons Why.” If you are a parent and don’t know about this Netflix show, this will be an eye-opener! “13 Reasons Why” premiered on March 31, 2017 and…
Over the years I have encountered many people suffering and struggling with grief and grieving in my work and in the greater community. Historically, there has been conflicting information available about how “best” to do this, from cultural and scientific perspectives alike. For example, those in mourning may have heard, “cry, men shouldn’t cry, go…
Among psychotherapists, it is a widely held belief that women are more inclined to pursue psychotherapy than are men. While likely true, that is not always the case. When a man’s penis is no longer functioning as he would like, or as he thinks it should, he is highly likely to seek professional assistance. At…