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Many of us read before we go to bed. This activity is helpful in allowing our minds to relax and cue our bodies that it’s time to sleep. But, have you ever noticed that sometimes you forget what you have read just before falling sleep? When you pick up your

For many kids, adjusting to different social situations, whether it’s a playdate or a birthday party, can be difficult. Even if the child wants to attend the party or playdate, it may require significant patience and persistence from parents in order for the child to succeed. It also may be

Homework time. For many children and families, it is a dreaded part of the day, particularly for children who struggle.  It’s just like the day before and the day before that, ever since the second week of school. You guide your child to the kitchen table or the desk in

Each year the National Institute for Mental Health reports that anxiety and depressive disorders make up the largest percentage of mental health disorders recorded in the United States among adults.  This is no surprise to me since that’s pretty much all that I treat in my practice – adults with

I have owned only two Samoyed dogs in my life and raised from pups, and I have to say it was one of the most rewarding decisions we made in bringing them into our family. In the same breath, dealing with the passing of those dogs, especially with children in

I am a big fan of the New York Yankees and have been so for most of my life.  In fact, I was just 4-years old when my father took me to my first game.  I follow the team closely and I even have an extensive Yankees shrine in my

Perhaps no emotion is more dysregulating and potentially damaging than anger, yet many of us receive very little education about how to understand and manage it effectively! Sure, we’ve all been told to take a breath, count to 10 and walk away, but these strategies don’t always work without a

As a clinical psychologist, who has been specializing in working with kids since I started my practice more than 35 years ago, I have given my share of advice to parents on how to raise children. When I became a parent, I learned a lot about child-rearing on the front

“Call me when you get there.” This instruction has been received in some form by adolescent and adult children for as long as most of us can remember. While innocently intended to ease the anxiety of parents, the need to check in on your children (or have them check in

There is something transformative about immersing yourself in a process of creation, pushing yourself to try new things, and engaging in recovery with your whole self, mind, body, and spirit. Through these experiences, you open up new avenues for emotional processing, expression, and discovery that expand the limits of what

As another school year comes to a close, summer is the time to take a breather from the hectic months of the school year and slow down. This is a good time to allow our children to do the same as we all need down time, regardless of our age.

If you thought helicopter parents were bad, have you heard of lawnmower parents? The term “helicopter parent” has been in the lexicon for a number of years and most people can relatively easily define what they do: these are parents who, for a variety of reasons, hover closely over their