Students in high-achieving schools are now named an ‘at-risk’ group, study says
By Jennifer Breheny Wallace, The Washington Post Communities touting the best-ranked schools are often the most in-demand among families. But this competitive environment can come at a psychological cost to those attending them. Emerging research is finding that students in...
Why Mindfulness?
Do you feel you often forget things or conversations? Do you have difficulty staying focused or completing a task? Do you find yourself feeling bored if you are not doing more than one thing at a time? Do you...
Relieving Stress by Missing Class
As a clinician, one of the first things I hear from adults when speaking to them about school-based therapy is “but the student is missing class time” with an even bigger emphasis on missing academics. The rationale behind this...
Giving the Gift of Validation
Validation is important because it communicates I hear you, I see you, and I care. When experienced from others it can feel like you have received the gift of acceptance and feeling understood. This is what makes learning the...
The Poverty of Pity
As someone who holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature, I’m very aware of how tricky words can be. For instance, pity is often used synonymously with the term compassion, but the two couldn’t be any more different. Compassion...
Self-Care: Taking Care of Your Body
Self-care is doing activities to take care of your mental, emotional, and physical health. Practicing self-care helps us reduce stress and manage our emotions better. Lack of self-care can lead to increased stress and illness overtime. While taking care...
People-Pleasing
As human beings, we value relationships and belonging. We want to be accepted and to be a part of communities that provide us with peace, security, and love. These desires are natural and the feeling of being connected to...
More than a “Bad Mood”: Identifying Teenage Depression
Adolescence is riddled with changes, being a teen means wrestling with identity, self-image, belonging, and much more. There are constant transitions which can be confusing and difficult for parents and teens to navigate. We know another contributing factor is...