As both a mom and a clinical psychologist, I am often approached by parents who are concerned about their child’s academic progress, emotional health, or pattern of behaviors. Parents often have some intuition that something isn’t right, but they don’t know how concerned to be, and whether or not to seek professional guidance. Here are … Read more
Summer break is almost here and that means a less intense morning and evening schedule and more time with siblings. Unfortunately, that can also mean more sibling conflict. Here are a few options for reducing teasing to help your summer go more smoothly*: Give an immediate time-out for both parties: To the Child Claiming to … Read more
Recently, a good friend of mine stumbled across a blog titled the “10 Myths of Introverts” by Carl King (http://www.carlkingdom.com), which describes his perceptions of being an introvert in an extroverted world. Since finding this blog, my friend has been educating more extroverted souls like myself with the wisdom she collected, and perhaps more importantly … Read more
Here we are in January. It’s boom time for health clubs and diet plans – how many of us have made New Year’s resolutions to lose weight and get in better shape? Unfortunately, most people fall off the diet-and-exercise wagon fairly quickly, leading to feelings of frustration, guilt, and even hopelessness and depression. The problem … Read more
Most parents of a teenager can often find their teen glued to the internet or a cell phone reportedly “interacting” with friends. Many of these parents do not fully understand what their child is doing for all those hours while on the phone or computer and could benefit from a brief lesson on some of … Read more
When children make poor behavior choices, I often hear parents say, “I thought he knew better.” Raising a morally responsible child is a main goal for many parents, and parents often experience anxiety or frustration when their child chooses a path that does not reflect the expected morals of the family. However, it is critical … Read more
Driving down Chain Bridge Road in the storm a few weeks ago, the obstacle course through the fallen trees and the power outage brought back memories of the last bad storm that I experienced, Hurricane Katrina. Storms upset our lives. They inconvenience us. They take things away from us. Laying in bed in the hot … Read more
Many clients call our practice for psychological testing services, often at the recommendation of someone else, such as a school counselor or physician. Most of the time, a client knows that they need answers about what is going on academically, behaviorally, socially, and/or emotionally, but they’re not clear what “psychological assessment” is or how the … Read more
An increasingly common topic that I am asked about by parents and school counselors is self-harming behavior among teens. This issue puzzles counselors and frightens parents. It has been estimated that as many as one in five teens have tried self-harming. There isn’t a week that goes by that self-harm does not come up in … Read more
For most people, they will never forget where they were or how they felt in those first few hours and days following the attacks of 9/11. With the ten year anniversary approaching, strong and varied emotions seem to be resurfacing for many individuals. While emotional reactions are expected and completely normal in response to such … Read more
