The proverb “Home is where the heart is” conjures up warm feelings of good times with family, as our close relationships provide us with the encouragement and comfort needed to live fulfilled, happy lives. Life can be challenging with its financial, emotional and social stresses, and the people who surround and support us at home help us to feel relaxed and comfortable. However, for some, the home is not a sanctuary of love and acceptance; instead, it can be a stressful place where conflict is … [Read more...]
The Mother’s Day Gift That Will Keep On Giving
May 9, 2013 By
Recently, my younger brother found out that my mother, who had been a concert pianist, had really wanted to be a lawyer. He was stunned by that revelation. It got me thinking about how well we know any of our parents. With all of the advertising for Mother’s Day, and all of the possible gifts and flowers that you can buy, I wondered if there was a more appropriate gift – really getting to know your mom, not just as a mother, but as a person in her own right. What questions could you ask that … [Read more...]
Power of Pink or the Problem? Breast Cancer and Early Detection
May 6, 2013 By
More than 20 years ago, I ran a support group for women with metastatic breast cancer. The group was supposed to run for eight weeks, but it ran for just over two years, until the last woman in my group passed away. At that time, metastatic breast cancer was a death sentence, and people asked me how I could do such depressing work. I explained to them that despite the loss of group members, each week I received more gifts of insight, kindness and love from those women than I was ever able to … [Read more...]
Can This Marriage Be Saved?: Strategies for the Struggling Couple
April 29, 2013 By
Ask any young couple how long their marriage will last and chances are they will say forever. In the latest Clark University Poll of Emerging Adults, psychologist Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, PhD, an expert on emerging adulthood, found that 86 percent of more than 1,000 18- to 29-year-old Americans surveyed expect their marriages to last a lifetime. Yet statistics suggest that many of these newlyweds are blinded by love. According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the likelihood … [Read more...]
Smart but Scattered?: Strategies to Improve Executive Function in Children & Adolescents (Part 2)
April 6, 2013 By
My last article covered the definition of Executive Functioning (EF) and the challenges children with EF deficits face. Now that you have a better understanding of the eight areas that comprise EF (inhibit, shift, emotional control, monitor, working memory, planning and organization, organization of materials, and task materials), let’s look at a few of them to learn how to assess your child’s EF deficits and to review some examples of how to help. The domain of Emotional Control exhibits … [Read more...]
Book Review: Asperger Love by Amy Harmon
April 1, 2013 By
In her Kindle book Asperger Love: Searching for Romance When You’re Not Wired to Connect, Amy Harmon writes with warmth and empathy as she follows Jack Robison and Kirsten Lindsmith through their day-to-day lives. Both of them have Asperger’s disorder and although they love one another, they struggle daily with the role that their inability to read social cues plays in their desire to find closeness and intimacy in a relationship. For those of us who have worked with Asperger’s patients, this … [Read more...]
Smart but Scattered?: Understanding Executive Functioning in Children & Adolescents (Part 1)
March 19, 2013 By
Is your child smart, but scattered? Children face many challenges in today’s dynamic world, and it can be difficult for them to easily navigate its course. You may be realizing that you personally struggled with the same signs of anxiety, disinterest or frustration that your child is experiencing. At home, it may seem like harmless daydreaming, frustration over dressing for school, emotional outbursts over changes in plans, or even laziness over not wanting to complete a homework … [Read more...]
New Moms and Postpartum Depression
January 31, 2013 By
Pregnancy and motherhood can bring on a host of unexpected emotions and stresses. When you leave the hospital with your new bundle of joy, you expect to settle into life at home surrounded by family and friends, flooded with happiness, and enjoying every new moment. What you may find really happens is that your husband immediately returns to work; friends and family may be consumed by their own busy lives; and your baby may eat and sleep at all hours of the day and night leaving you exhausted. … [Read more...]
Mental Health of Families Displaced by Hurricane Sandy
January 16, 2013 By
It may be the start of a New Year, but for many families from across the NY/NJ region reconstruction, building debris and construction crews are daily reminders of Hurricane Sandy. The media covered the events surrounding Sandy for months, but although the reporting has died down, the personal and emotional loss felt by many remains. Personally, I was affected by the storm when my Little Silver, NJ office was flooded. For the first month or so following the storm, I worked on the second floor … [Read more...]