Being Mindful: Using What and How Skills Mindfulness is the quality or state of being aware or conscious of something. We often think of mindfulness in terms of meditation and breathing exercises—skills that can decrease distress and promote emotional regulation. While these skills are certainly useful, the core purpose of practicing mindfulness is to increase … Read more
Now Offering Autism Spectrum Testing at FamilyFirst If you suspect that your child or you may be Autistic, a diagnostic evaluation can assist with accessing needed early interventions, establishing or maintaining accommodations, and/or accessing other support services. You or your child may benefit from an autism evaluation if you notice the following: For infants and … Read more
In our previous blog, we discussed parents being on the receiving end of our kids’ big, hard-to-have feelings and the importance of listening…truly listening….as a way to respond in these moments. Today, we’re discussing some more traps parents fall into from time to time with some empathic and supportive alternatives. TRAPS ALTERNATIVES We judge the … Read more
What To Do When Our Kids Have Big Feelings (Part 1) As parents, we are often on the receiving end of our kids’ big, hard-to-have feelings. Anger. Sadness. Tantrums. Frustration. Worries. It can feel like a lot for a parent to handle. Sometimes our children’s feelings seem out of proportion to the situation. Sometimes their … Read more
Teaching through Play Let’s talk about something fun today, play! Across all ages, play is essential for development. Research shows that play is a natural way to learn social skills, and it can help build children’s skills in communication, emotion, cognition, physical fitness, and creativity. Playing is learning for our kids. Playing with our children … Read more
Accepting What We Cannot Change, and Changing What We Can Most of us are familiar with the Serenity Prayer: “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” This has become such a commonly known invocation that it is … Read more
Often times when people first enter into therapy, they see it as a mysterious and/or intimidating prospect.
Summer is finally here – time to sleep in, head to the pool or beach, and destress from the school year!
In the summertime more so than other times of the year I often hear parents say, “My child keeps complaining, ‘I am bored’.”
Summer is here! Children tend to be excited about the break from academic demands and increased downtime that summer allows.
