Positive Parenting: Setting Limits with your Child
Maddie McGarrah , M.Ed.
Whether your child or children express it or not, rules and limits are good for them. Children thrive off consistency, and a great way to help provide consistency to your child is when you are setting limits for them....
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...
What is the Origin of Bullying and How to Handle It
The word bully has become a big topic in recent years and there is a lot of different information on how to handle it. With increasing technology and the school environment, children deal with more opportunities for bullying every...
Kids Know Technology, Parents Know Relationships
Let’s face it, technology can be daunting, especially for those of us who did not earn a degree in computer science or some other technology related field. Technology is everywhere and encompasses a wide range of activities we engage...
Mom Just Listen to Me!
Sometimes we don’t feel like our parents listen to what we’re trying to say. That can be extremely frustrating and often leaves us feeling misunderstood. Here are a few tips to getting your parent to listen to what you’re...
Is My Child Suffering from Anxiety?
Anxiety is an epidemic in today’s society. It rears its head in school, the work force, and in culture, affecting all ages. There are signs of it everywhere and it’s getting worse. While anxiety is a normal emotion to...
How to Encourage Social Skills with your Children
The phrase “social skills” is how we describe interactions in relationships that can be verbal or nonverbal behaviors that communicate our thoughts and feelings. Verbal expressions can be a statement by the child of “I don’t care” or constant...
Bullying in Middle School
We often hear this word being thrown around but what is bullying really? Stopbullying.gov defines bullying as unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the...
Why Your Kids Should Be Allowed To Tell You No Sometimes
One of the skills I end up having to teach almost all the kids I work with, no matter their presenting problem, is assertiveness. An anxious child may be too afraid to express how they feel and be passive...
How to be a Good Friend
Brittany Glaser , M.A., M.Div.
Friends are important. Especially when you are in your pre-teenage and teenage years friendships can become a vital social connection and place to safety figure out who you want to become. Listen and empathize—Ask about what is going on...
Transitions: How to Cope With Change and Set Realistic Expectations and Cope With Transition
Change is inevitable, in fact they say that the only thing in life that is constant is change. If we pay attention, we can see that even in nature things are constantly changing. The seasons change, the tide changes,...
How to Manage Our Household Anxieties
So here we are, still at home with school remaining out, all due COVID-19 and keeping each other healthy and safe. Yet, how do we keep our household happy and calm with everyone home and getting annoyed? We have...
You Don’t Have to Be Alone
Stephen Walters , M.Div., M.A.
September 10, 2019 was World Suicide Prevention Day. I work with many clients that deal with trauma and/or depression. I’ve worked with many clients that have contemplated or attempted suicide. Previous to my career as a counselor, I have...
How are Food and Emotions Connected?
Rebecca L. Marshall , Ph.D.
Our culture now has a term for anger associated with hunger. Irritable, hungry people are often called “hangry”, a condition solved quickly by eating. While being “hangry” is not usually a serious problem, you may have wondered what kind...
How Does Sleep Affect Your Emotional Life?
Rebecca L. Marshall , Ph.D.
Parents of adolescents often tell me that their children stay up too late, usually on electronic devices, and that they are sleep-deprived during much of the school year. Most parents assume that poor or insufficient sleep is impacting their...
Embracing the Changes, Challenges, and the New
Summer is gone, and by this time of the year your kids are settling into the new school year. A new school year can bring about a variety of emotions for your student and for you as a parent....
What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)?
What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)? Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive...
How to Keep a Routine with a Child in Treatment
It is important to understand that it may be inconvenient or near impossible to keep a routine while a family member is undergoing treatment, but we know that rhythm and routine creates feelings of safety and security. With the...
Gaining Connection with Your Child
We are all busy, let’s face it. As adults we are working, parenting, and squeezing in “adult time”; and children are studying in school, doing activities after school, and playing with friends. With our busy schedules, we feel guilt...
Handling Big Emotions and Helping Your Child Calm Down
Every child is different, and that includes their reactions to things. You may see that your child has a different reaction to their siblings, peers, or cousins. That is ok, some children just feel things more intensely than others....