Grounding Techniques: Easy Skills to Help Your Child Manage Their Anxiety
Samantha Scalabrino , M.A.
Anxiety is an excessive worry about a real or perceived threat that can result in avoidance behaviors and physical reactions. It differs from fear in that fear is an appropriate response to an immediate threat, whereas anxiety is usually...
Encouraging Flexible Thinking: Playing Games “Wrong”
Samantha Scalabrino , M.A.
Flexible Thinking is an important skill that allows children to understand situations different perspectives, embrace change, learn to adapt, and engage in critical thinking. However, this skill can be difficult for some children to learn on their own, leading...
Knowing the Signs of Trauma in Children
Maddie McGarrah , M.Ed.
Recognizing signs of trauma in children is an important but challenging task for parents, caregivers, and educators. Traumatic experiences can deeply affect a child’s emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Since children often lack the language or coping skills 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...
Eliminating the Stigma of Mental Health in Children
Just like adults, children experience mental health challenges and diagnoses. A crucial step in helping children feel comfortable in therapy is addressing and eliminating the stigma often associated with mental health concerns. For children, their self-image is a central...
Let’s Talk about Social Media & Screen Time
Alyssa Kiss , M.A.
Parents raising a teen in today’s world of technology can often experience confusion, stress, and judgement from others for their decisions surrounding social media use and screen time. There are mixed messages, a lack of sufficient research, and little...
Building the Parent-Child Relationship
Becca Samelson-Webb , M.A.
All too often, I hear parents share that they are unable to connect with their children. They don’t understand their interests, are confused by their behavior, or frustrated by their attitudes. Sometimes parents respond by setting stronger punishments, leaving...
Understanding and Managing Anger: A Guide for Kids
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...
Fostering Independence for Anxious Children
Caroline Buttrey , M.S.W
Parenting a child with anxiety and social challenges can feel like a delicate balancing act. On one hand, you want to provide them with the comfort and support they need. On the other, you know it’s important to encourage...
How to Talk to Your Teen – Part 1
Stephen Walters , M.Div., M.A.
Recently, I became a parent to a teenager. Now, I have been his parent his whole life. However, I understand that our communication needs to evolve from how I spoke to him when he was 3 and how I...
The Anxious Generation: Book Review
Bailey Smith , M.Ed.
If you have ever thought… Kids these days are always on their phones! My middle schooler never spends time with any friends in person. Taking my high schooler’s phone as a consequence causes more problems than it’s worth. Why...
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...
Recognizing Signs of Anxiety in Children: A Short Guide for Parents
The First Step is Recognition Anxiety can be tough for anyone, and it can be especially scary for parents when their child experiences these difficult feelings. However, with the support of family, a trusted support system, and professional help...
Understanding ADHD in Teens
Jessica Gross , M.A.
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. The essential feature of ADHD is a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity...
Co-Parenting After Divorce
Janet Fluker , M.Ed., M.S.
The goal of healthy co-parenting after divorce is to minimize the conflict between the parents. Research shows that it’s the conflict between the parents, not the divorce itself, that has the greatest negative impact on the children. What are...
The Visual Aid: an Invaluable Tool to Help Children Manage Their Emotions
Samantha Scalabrino , M.A.
Recall the last time you witnessed a child having a temper tantrum. Did it help to tell them to just “calm down?” Probably not. In fact, it most likely made the tantrum worse. Now, what if you had tried...
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...