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...
Size of the Problem: Helping Children Match Their Feelings and Reactions to a Problem
Samantha Scalabrino , M.A.
Size of the Problem (SotP) is a tool used to help individuals think critically about how their feelings and responses to a perceived problem impact themselves and the people around them. Simply put, it helps people understand how big...
How to Talk to Your Child About School Shootings
Alyssa Kiss , M.A.
It grieves me to be writing this blog regarding a topic that so deeply affects our students, parents, school staff, and community today. The anxiety and confusion surrounding school shootings is prevalent for us all. This is made more...
Helping Your Student with Back to School Feelings
Kara Cunningham , M.A.
With summer quickly coming to an end, children and teens in your home may be experiencing familiar and competing feelings like excitement, dread, anticipation, and anxiety. Often, these feelings may not be expressly spoken, but there are clues your...
What You Need to Know About ASD
What Exactly is ASD? According to the DSM-5-TR, the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is comprised of Asperger syndrome and the other autism-related diagnoses which make up the autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder...
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...
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...
Parent Child Interaction Therapy and Childhood Cancer
Facing cancer is an immense challenge for anyone, but for children, it means grappling with their mortality at an age meant for dreams of being a princess or a superhero. For their parents it is a terrifying ordeal to...
How to Build your Child’s Self-Esteem
A child’s self-esteem begins with a positive self-identity, which is critical for building a foundation for confidence, happiness, and emotional well-being. When children have a positive self-identity, they can navigate through life with a sense of purpose and feel...
Unlocking Discipline: The 5 Critical Components
Discipline is often misconstrued as a form of punishment and what comes to mind most is spanking. However, the essence of discipline is teaching and guiding. At its core discipline means providing structure, consistency, and setting limits. Schedules and...
Fostering Independence
Eva Salazar Torres , M.S.
“It’s a tough world out there, and my children need to be provided with every advantage so they can be competitive in the college or job market.” The above is a parent trap. As parents it is normal to...