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 lines in raising my own…
Details“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 with you) often creates conflicts…
DetailsThere 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 you thought was possible. They…
DetailsAs 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. Before going into summer mode,…
DetailsIf 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 children, monitor their activities and…
DetailsRegrettably, in today’s nonstop barrage of the 24-hour news cycle, it does not take long for a fresh tragedy to occur brought on by what appears to be a mentally disturbed person causing the headline. After the initial shock, our common reaction goes something like, “That person must be crazy!” Yet, almost at the same…
DetailsA person’s name is the most powerful word you can say to them. Most successful business executives, teachers, sales people, psychologists, and more understand the significance of learning and using someone’s name. Dale Carnegie famously said, “A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” A person’s name…
DetailsI walked in the door with the pizza. My wife looked at me and my daughter and asked, “How did it go?” She looked back at my wife and says, “Maybe you should ask him.” Of course, I get the questioning look from my wife. It wasn’t necessary to discuss the near collision in the…
DetailsAre shyness and Social Anxiety Disorder the same thing? If my child is shy, will he/she grow up to have Social Anxiety Disorder? The answer to both of these questions is NO. There are many differences between shyness and Social Anxiety Disorder. While shyness can eventually turn into Social Anxiety Disorder, it isn’t definite or…
DetailsLife moves fast. For many, perhaps too fast. So many of my patients report feeling stressed, pressured, overwhelmed, overworked, exhausted, and always feeling that they are at least one step behind. They report that, while they are aware that much of their lives are suffering, there seems to be little that they can do to…
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