Childhood Issues

Is My Child Suffering from Anxiety?
June 8, 2020

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
June 1, 2020

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
May 18, 2020

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
May 4, 2020

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
April 20, 2020

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
April 6, 2020

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
March 30, 2020

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
March 9, 2020

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?
March 2, 2020

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?
February 24, 2020

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...