The Vital Nature of Hope “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all”. - Emily Dickinson. It’s hard to overstate the importance of hope. The more hope, the stronger the drive, and it doesn’t dare to ever stop, nor even […]
We’ll continue our series on how we treat particular behavioral health conditions. In my last article, I provided an overview of how we treat child and adolescent depression and anxiety. In today’s post, I’ll tackle how we treat autism. What is Autism? Autism is a developmental disorder, which is a condition that impacts a child’s ability […]
As one would expect given my occupation, I’m often approached by teens and their parents, about feelings of depression and anxiety. It’s troubling to see a child or adolescent struggling, but it’s uplifting to know that there are practical and very effective strategies to improve the situation. Let’s review them today. 😊 What Causes Depression […]
How It Starts... I regularly get questions from parents about how to manage their child’s behavior. We welcome such questions and look forward to working with parents to help improve the situation. I might hear something like, “my child is having lots of tantrums and is really hard to manage” or “my child won’t do […]
Sharing this post is one of my favorite traditions. This Christmas blog post was first put up the HelpForYourChild.com back in 2012. It has been helping families recognize the role Faith plays in helping families and childhood difficulties. What I’m Expected to Do… As a psychologist, I’m expected to talk about traditional and clinically-relevant approaches […]
The holiday season often includes busy public outings with your child. These can be quite tricky and challenging! Children sometimes find the new environment, whether it be a store or a crowded holiday event, to be over-stimulating. They try to carry out the outing ‘on their terms’ rather than on yours. However, if you make […]
The holidays are a wonderful time of year. There are so many fun and festive opportunities to get together to celebrate the season with your family or community. It’s no wonder it’s the favorite time of year for most children. But for parents of kiddos struggling with any number of behavioral health or developmental issues […]
Selective Mutism vs ‘Just Being Shy’ Selective mutism is a diagnosable condition that significantly interferes with a child’s ability to adapt and function in social situations. It’s defined as a failure to speak in situations where the child is expected to speak. The child perceives the situation as uncomfortable and usually with a degree of […]
Thanksgiving is Extra Special Many people find Thanksgiving to be one of their favorite holidays. It’s simple, no gifts to buy, no fuss. It’s just family and friends coming together with a recognition that we have a lot to be thankful for. How Do We Help Kids Practice Being Thankful Year-round? I imagine many of […]
The Steps to Improving Your Child’s Behavior There is a formula to child discipline. If you follow the recipe, the outcome is very predictable in a positive way. Children expect parents to behave in a particular manner; when they do, they tend to respond accordingly in terms of being more manageable, respectful, calmer, and grateful. […]
