Addiction: A Family Disease
Jennifer Acker , M.A.
You may have heard Addiction referred to as a disease of the mind and if you have ever been around someone addicted to a substance like alcohol or drugs you have seen and heard how their thinking has changed...
Harm Reduction for Addiction
Kimberly Tate-Nuwar , M.S.W.
If you or a loved one struggles with addiction, it is a scary thing to think about going fully abstinent from drugs or alcohol. In recent years, harm reduction programs have gained popularity in assisting people fighting addictions on...
Breaking the Cycle of Perfectionism in Teens
Bailey Smith , M.Ed.
When the pressures of being a teen meet the demands of high school, some students cope by striving for perfection. Perfectionism shows up in thoughts like “If I can just be perfect, then I’ll feel ok.” or “If I’m...
What is Parent Child Interaction Therapy?
Margaret “Maisy” Kelley , M.S.
Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a modality of therapy focused on strengthening the parent-child relationship and reducing problematic or attention seeking behaviors. Treatment for PCIT is highly structured. There are two key phases: Child Directed Interaction and Parent...
Your Family’s Holiday Tech Detox
Bailey Smith , M.Ed.
The holidays are almost here! The kids are off from school, the adults have vacation time, and we are all basking in all our unstructured free time. We have time to hang out with friends, work on craft projects,...
Naming and Taming Big Emotions
Caroline Buttrey , M.S.W
If you’ve ever seen your child go from calm to melting down in a matter of seconds, you know how powerful emotions can be. For kids, big feelings like anger, sadness, or frustration can feel confusing and even a...
Strengthening the Parent-Child Relationship
Samantha Scalabrino , M.A.
Parenting can feel a bit like a juggling act. Shuttling kids around to all of their events, while also trying to work, take care of the home, and manage your own time is daunting on the best of days....
Does My Child’s Bedtime Matter During the Summer?
Sarah Mixson , M.S.W.
When school is out and summer begins, it’s natural for routines to shift. Bedtimes are often stretched later, screens stay on longer and sleep habits can fall by the wayside. While summer brings more freedom and fun, consistent sleep...
What “Tantrums” Can Tell You
Caroline Buttrey , M.S.W
Tantrums are often loud, messy, and emotionally charged, but they’re also incredibly important. While it may look like your child is “just trying to get attention” or “being difficult,” tantrums are a form of communication. Young children (and even...
Why Routines Are Especially Important for Kids with ADHD
Caroline Buttrey , M.S.W
For children with ADHD, the world can often feel unpredictable and overwhelming. Their brains are constantly taking in information, jumping from thought to thought, and struggling to filter out distractions. This is where routines become incredibly powerful. A consistent...
The Impact of Seeking Therapy When You or a Loved One is Struggling with Addiction.
Sarah Mixson , M.S.W.
There are many misconceptions around addiction that often prevent individuals in active addiction from reaching out. There is a fear of judgement from others as well as navigating stigma around seeking treatment. As a therapist who has previously worked...
What is Play Therapy and is it Right for My Child?
Haley Aguero , M.A.
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” -Plato Child-centered play therapy (CCPT) is the oldest and most researched therapy for children. Children are at a different developmental age...
Helping Your Child Through Your Divorce
Maddie McGarrah , M.Ed.
Divorce can be an emotionally overwhelming experience for everyone involved, but for children, it can be especially confusing and painful. As parents, you may worry about how the separation will affect your children and what you can do to...
A Kid’s Guide to Expressing Feelings
Line Fleming , M.A.
How are you feeling today? This is a question we hear often. But what Is the answer? Some feelings are easy to understand while others are confusing and not as easy to understand and express. We can also feel...
Supporting Teenagers Through Difficult Times
Sarah Mixson , M.S.W.
Adolescence is a time of growth, change, and challenges. For many teens, it can be difficult to navigate academic pressures, social dynamics, and personal struggles. As a parent, it can be challenging to know when to step in and...
The Importance of “Mattering” to Teens
Bailey Smith , M.Ed.
I recently read the book “Never Enough” by Jennifer Breheny Wallace, which dives into achievement culture among adolescents and how it contributes to mental health concerns like anxiety and depression. Through my own school-based counseling work with high school...
Benefits of Authoritative Parenting
You may have heard of the term parenting style. There are four main parenting styles: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and distant. Authoritative parenting is known as a balanced approach and is widely regarded as the most effective parenting style, because...
How to Support Emotional Regulation in Your Teens
Jessica Gross , M.A.
What is emotional regulation you might ask? Emotional regulation is the “ability to exert control over one’s own emotional state.” It is quite common for teens to struggle with emotional dysregulation due to the flood of hormones rushing through...
Finding a Place of Honesty, Authenticity, and Love
Can you tell your partner everything? When intimate relationships are built on a foundation of honesty, they can reach a level of profound authenticity and mutual understanding. But since the beginning of time, it seems, people have been prone...
Understanding the Effects of PTSD: A Guide for Family Members
Alexa Mellman , M.S.W.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a complex mental health condition that can have profound effects on the lives of individuals who experience it. However, it is equally important to recognize the impact PTSD can have on the family members...