Affluenza isn’t a joke. Although the term is often used sarcastically, vast wealth and a single-minded focus on the pursuit of money, status and material possessions cause real problems and dysfunction in many American families. “It’s easy to mock the problems of the well-to-do,” says Josh Glawe, a licensed clinical social worker and specialist in…
DetailsEvery sports fan knows of high-profile instances when elite professional athletes suddenly and inexplicably seemed to lose the ability to execute even the most basic tasks on the playing field, maneuvers that are typically second nature to them: the major league infielder who can’t throw accurately to first base; the basketball star who can’t make…
DetailsMany parents expect the teenage years to be a trial they will have to endure. They’ve been warned that their previously successful parenting strategies are about to become useless and their previously delightful, loving children are about to become moody, uncommunicative strangers. “Expecting the worst in the teen years can become a self-fulfilling prophecy,” says…
DetailsAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder is well recognized and now commonly diagnosed in children. It is estimated that between 3% and 10% of school-age children exhibit the hyperactivity, inattention and impulsiveness that characterize the disorder. Less attention has been focused on the fact that for about half of those children, the symptoms continue into adulthood. “Many…
DetailsWhile the number of children and adolescents treated in hospital emergency rooms for sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries, including concussions, has increased dramatically over the last ten years, the increase isn’t necessarily bad news. More children are showing up at emergency rooms at least in part because parents, coaches and pediatricians have become more…
DetailsThe ability to make and keep friends is vital to a child’s emotional health and well-being. Children who have difficult peer relationships or who are rejected by peers are likely to suffer from a wide range of long-terms problems, including low self-esteem, academic failure, depression, and feelings of isolation and loneliness. “Most of us have…
DetailsFrustration is inevitable for young children. There are shelves that can’t be reached, shoes that can’t be tied, baseballs that can’t be hit and parents and other adults saying “no” to a child’s most fervent desires. Frustration isn’t necessarily a negative emotion. Dealt with constructively, it can help children learn to overcome obstacles and tolerate…
DetailsA stagnant economy puts even more pressure on organizations to make good hiring decisions. Hiring and training a new employee are expensive. And the poor performance and unhappiness that follow a mismatch between employee and position are harmful to the employee as well. A pre-employment psychological evaluation can streamline the hiring process and help organizations…
DetailsAccording to the National Institute of Mental Health, six million American adults suffer sudden and repeated panic attacks in any given year, a condition known as panic disorder. Panic attacks generally first occur in late adolescence or early adulthood but not everyone who has a panic attack develops panic disorder. Some have just one attack…
DetailsAll marriages change over time as the excitement and romantic charge of early days mellow into a more companionable and intimate relationship and as the responsibilities and complexities of making a living and raising a family overtake the simplicity of dating. “Early in a relationship a couple is in a cocoon, focused entirely on each…
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