Children with attention deficits don’t respond to traditional parenting strategies (including punishment and rewards) the same way as do children without the condition. This occurs because they don’t seem to learn from their mistakes, avoid behaviors because of punishment, or are motivated by rewards as easily as other children. As such, parents often second guess … Read more
The best part of Halloween is transforming into something you nor anyone else could imagine you as before…and it’s even better if they don’t recognize you. I remember the Halloween my sister and her boyfriend rented these Darth Vader costumes which prevented anyone from recognizing them. They visited the circuit of Halloween parties without talking– … Read more
As concerned parents, we think, plan, and sometimes obsess about how to prepare our children for their adult lives. We participate in their education, enroll them in sports and other activities, do what we can to build and maintain their self-esteem, try to instill good values, feed them healthful foods, save for college, keep track … Read more
Many of us were glued to our television sets this summer watching the Olympic gymnastic competitions. We sat in awe of the athletes’ graceful movements on the balance beam and envied their talent and opportunity. While we may never be Olympic competitors, we can learn to balance “Olympic-style” in our daily lives. With the start … 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
Believe it or not, the end of summer is almost here. For families with school age children, this time of year often brings up a range of strong emotions. The return to school can arouse positive feelings, such as excitement, and also negative ones – apprehension, worry or even dread. Both parents and children often … Read more
I recently went away to the mountains where there were no screens…no service for cell phones, no access to wifi, and no televisions for a whole week! The first day without my phone, without a constant barrage of texts, emails, and phone calls, I felt naked, uncomfortable, and out of touch. By the third day, … 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
Anger is a normal and healthy emotion, especially if managed constructively. Anger, however, is complicated and can be confusing, especially for children. Most of the time people think of anger behaviorally and equate it with violence, aggression, hurt, etc. rather than thinking of it as a feeling. While people have behavioral responses to anger it … 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
