How to Support Your LGBTQ+ Child
Having family support for your child identifying in the LGBTQ community can be beneficial to their overall mental health and physical health. Being accepted by your family can decrease mental health symptoms such as isolation, depression, anxiety, substance abuse,...
De-Escalating a Meltdown
On airplanes, we are taught to put on our masks first before helping others in a crisis. The same goes for managing a meltdown with little ones. This may mean stepping away first from the situation (assuming the child...
Strategies for Communicating with Your Teenage Daughter
There comes a time when every mother-daughter relationship has stress – which usually comes around the teenage years. Mothers are always trying to protect their daughters which can lead to confrontation around this age period. As mothers, you naturally...
Can You Mourn Something You Never Had?
By Dr. Mollie Innocent-Cupid, Deputy Executive Director As a child therapist, I work with many children who have been abandoned by one or both of their biological parents. Some of these kids are unaffected by their abandonment and have...
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,...
Sharing With Your Child Their Autism Diagnosis
Has your child been diagnosed with autism? Are you wondering when and how to share that diagnosis with your child? In this article, we are going to discuss how to best share this diagnosis with your child. It is...
Today’s Worries are Enough for Today
“No one ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than one can bear.” -George MacDonald It seems that anxiety is on...
How Can I Help My Child When They Are Emotional?
This is a question that many parents ask. When children are upset adults often believe they can process and express how they feel. This is not always true; however, here are few tools that can begin to change the...
Checking-In With You
Like many children, I was fascinated with questions. Any parents reading, I imagine you have found yourself frustrated by the infamous question of “why” that your child may ask when he or she doesn’t get their way. I also...
Helping Your Child Regulate Their Emotions
Aleisha Parker , M.Ed.
Children and adolescents learn so much about how to navigate obstacles simply by watching their parents. They are like little sponges that soak up a lot of what they observe from their own homes and people in their lives...
Keeping Routines Through the Holidays
Kate Smith , M.A.
Last school year, kids were constantly wondering if they would be in the school building or learning virtually. Teachers and parents spent the beginning of this school year fielding the questions of what will this year look like? With...
To be Young, Black and Depressed
There has been more acknowledgement, inclusion and research regarding the disproportionate rates of depression, lack of mental health accessibility and lack of individuals seeking therapy due to the stigma that still resides within the black community. We’ve seen the...
Is Social Media “Influencing” Our Youth?
Alexis Durham , M.S.
Social media: something that has become impossible for some of us to live without. Especially the teens in our life. Social media is a great way to stay connected, this past year has proved that. But how much is...
Stress on Kids During the Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic took the world by surprise in March 2020. It was a new journey for everyone. Parents had to wear many hats during this time- full-time parent, teacher, and employee. We had nationwide lockdowns, schools became virtual,...
School and Anxiety During a Pandemic
Since March of 2020, families and children have had to make major adjustments in their lives due to the pandemic, especially when it is related to school. Many parents were left at home trying to figure out the best...
Back to School: Navigating the “New Norm”
There is so much going into this new 2021-2022 school year already and it has not even fully begun. For children who are returning to in-person learning, there may be anxiety overflowing far beyond just the first day jitters,...
Coping With Back-to-School Anxiety: Back to School Checklist for Parents
Going back to school can be anxiety provoking for many children. These 12 steps can help with reducing feelings of anxiety and help your child feel prepared and less anxious about starting the school year. One week before school...
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....
Navigating Technology
Over the last 10 years, technology has become a popular topic and part of life. Many parents and educators are wondering how to handle technology and what boundaries to put in place. There is an increasing amount of anxiety...
Healthy Relationships Between Parents and Teens
Healthy Relationships between Parents & Teens require good communication. A healthy relationship is one that is based on respect, honesty, trust, communication, individuality, safety, support, and acceptance. Here are some tips for communication that will help foster a healthy...