What are the Types of Attachment in Child Parent Relationships
Allison Bates , M.S.
Attachment is a facet of parenting many people can forget about or deprioritize with the infinite other responsibilities of parenting; however, attachment with a caregiver is one of the most important things a parent can give their child. The...
Improving Attachment in Parent/Child Relationships
Allison Bates , M.S.
Attachment between a child and parent creates the roadmap of how a child interacts with others and themselves, often for the rest of their lives. If a child is securely attached to a caregiver, they are more likely to...
My Child Won’t Remember That…. Will They?
Allison Bates , M.S.
As many children do not hold memories before 2-3 years old and even then, memory is often pretty vague, parents tend to be more lenient about what they say in front of their child before that time period or...
How to Support Your Child’s Behavior Over Holiday Breaks
Allison Bates , M.S.
As the holidays are fast approaching, one thing parents often state their frustration about is behavior regression or increased outbursts during breaks from school. Children thrive when they understand expectations and know boundaries and limitations. The holiday season can...
How to Help a Loved One with Suicidal Thoughts
Allison Bates , M.S.
In the United States, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among individuals aged 10-14 and 25-34, according to a 2020 study by the CDC. Suicide has become such a common topic for kids and teens in these...
Opioid Use, It’s Effects on Children, and How to Identify Misuse
Allison Bates , M.S.
On average, 130 Americans die from opioid overdose (including prescription- Oxycodone, Codeine, Morphine, and Fentanyl, and illicit opioids- heroine) EVERY DAY. This statistic affects the children in our community, as 2 million children annually have a parent who uses...
Effects of Medicating ADHD in Children
Allison Bates , M.S.
According to some pharmacies, antidepressants for teenagers have risen 38% from 2015 to 2019 (while adult prescriptions only rose 12% during that same period). As that study was pre-pandemic, the results now are expected to be dramatically higher. Many...
‘Why does it feel like I am always so much unhappier than everyone else?’
Allison Bates , M.S.
‘Why does it feel like I am always so much unhappier than everyone else?’ This is a frustration that therapists hear quite often. But why is it almost a universal experience that we are in a constant state of...
Mental Health as an Investment
Allison Bates , M.S.
When most people think of their top priorities, they think about family, work, friends, money, health, house, car, and the list go on. Often their own mental health does not even make the list. Why is that? It helps...
What is Play Therapy, Exactly?
Allison Bates , M.S.
The subgenre of play therapy is one that has many sceptics due to the subjective nature of play. Many people (including therapists of other subgroups) struggle with feel like ‘playing’ is a valid and beneficial form of therapy; however,...
Improving Communication with Your Teen
Allison Bates , M.S.
The parent/teenager relationship is one of the most important relationships a teenager will have in the emotionally charged teenage time of their lives; however, oftentimes the opposite occurs, with the teenager pushing the parent away. This can, in turn,...
Dealing With Acts of Aggression from Your Child
Allison Bates , M.S.
One issue I have a lot of my child clients working on is their anger (including tantrums). Some tantrums or outbursts are normal for children under the age of 5, while they are making sense of boundaries and the world around them....
Attachment and Your Child
Allison Bates , M.S.
A secure attachment is the foundation for a child’s responses, their interactions with others, their expectations of you and the family as a whole. When a child is attached to a parent, they are significantly less likely to have...
How to Help Your Anxious Child
Allison Bates , M.S.
Hello all! A lot of the adults I see suffer from variations of anxiety and struggle to cope with it effectively. It is potentially even more frustrating for kids who have anxiety to develop the coping skills to process...