sgershone@gmail.com Cultivating Hope, Even in Hard Times One dictionary definition of “hope” is: “to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true.” Despite the fact that we all feel like we know what hope is, often times hope is associated with naiveté. Those that are hopeful are sometimes seen as engaging in … Read more
Magical Thinking At the time of this writing, the Washington Commanders are just a couple days away from playing in the NFC championship game. A family member suggested that we watch the game at his house for “good vibes,” indicating that since our team won the last time that we watched at his house, we … Read more
Don’t Make It Worse We all experience life differently, yet one commonality among us all is that we are all going to experience distressing events, as well as physical, emotional, and mental pain, at some point in our lives. Some of the distressing/painful experiences will be things that we can control, such as choosing to … Read more
Adults Need Play Time Too! It’s a no-brainer that play is an important part of childhood. As children, play allows us to express our creativity, try on different roles, and develop important social-emotional skills that help us “play well” with others. However, play for adults can be an afterthought and something we do not actively … Read more
Let’s Talk About Play As a parent of three myself, I know firsthand how easy it is to get sucked into the day-to-day management of a family. Before you know it, keeping up with children’s growing social calendars becomes a full-time responsibility (Wait, is it a soccer or volleyball night!?!?). Then on top of the … Read more
Is it a BIG, Medium, or little deal? I frequently use an excellent social-emotional curriculum for kids called Unstuck & On Target (Lynn Cannon, Lauren Kenworthy, et al). It’s particularly useful with children and tweens who struggle with emotional regulation and cognitive flexibility, but its concepts can be useful to all parents when their kids–or they themselves–have a … Read more
A Few Thoughts on Self-Care The new year brings fresh starts and new goals, and I feel like it is a great time to think of our own self-care plans and what helps each of us recharge. We all have different definitions of what self-care might mean for us as individuals. Activities such as exercise, … Read more
Finding and Keeping Connection Some years ago, around this time of year, I got a call from someone very dear to me. She told me she was making a New Year’s resolution that we would get together at least once a month. This is one of the few New Year’s resolutions that had true staying … Read more
Setting Healthy Boundaries during the Holiday Season The holidays are upon us! While this time of year can bring joy, it also can leave us feeling frustrated, exhausted, and pulled in too many directions at once. This makes it a perfect time to pause and consider the topic of healthy boundaries for ourselves. Although the … Read more
Are Working Memory Problems Disrupting Your Child’s Learning? Working Memory is like a “mental sticky note” that keeps track of information momentarily in mind (NOT in long-term memory) in order to complete a task. Basically, it helps kids hold on to information long enough to use it. Working memory is one of many executive functions … Read more
