Mental Health
Parenting Through Helene: Six Things I’m Grateful For (…and glad will be gone soon)
Water came back on at my house and I can’t tell you the relief it brought. Until the brown tinted liquid came spilling out of my shower head late last night, I was unaware of just how much my cognitive and emotional functioning was impacted by the lack of running water to my home. Like…
< Read More >Parent Stress and Dissatisfaction: What Can Be Done?
Becoming a parent is supposed to make you happy, right? But what if you are like many American parents and just not feeling it? There is an unspoken expectation out there, one that is easy to believe, that says beinga parent should be the best, most fulfilling aspect of your adult life. A 2023 Pew…
< Read More >How to Support Your Burned-out Teen
I am seeing more and more tired, stressed, and even burned-out teens in my office lately. It could be due to the time of year (Spring Break feels so far away still), societal expectations, or maybe it’s just life. Whatever the reason, burn-out is real for teens. And there are ways to help. How do…
< Read More >EMDR Can Help Teens With Stress
What Do Veterans and Teens Have in Common? Both benefit from EMDR EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. It is the top mental health treatment recommended by the Veterans Affairs for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for PTSD). Studies also demonstrate its effectiveness with developmental trauma caused by difficult…
< Read More >How to Talk to Your Kids About Mass Violence and Traumatic Events
The recent shooting in Maine, the Israel-Hamas War, the War in Ukraine…what do we say to the kids? Silence Is Not An Option In early October 2023, I was driving my regular route from home to school with my eight-year-old in the back seat. He was bundled up in a coat for the first time…
< Read More >Building Positive Mental Health With Your Tween or Teen
Like many parents, I feel lucky if I get a response that’s more than “fine,” or “normal, just a normal day,” when my three boys – ages seven, 11 and 14 – arrive home from school, and I ask them how it all went. Yet more often than not, hunger, tiredness, disappointment, or something else…
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