Katie is having trouble letting her 14-year-old son do things on his own, like riding his bicycle to school with friends, spending the night at a buddy’s house, or walking home from soccer practice. She knows she should start trusting him to be on his own so he can develop into an independent young man, but she just can’t seem to let go. Katie’s mother wasn’t there for her emotionally growing up. And her two older brothers received all of her mother’s attention, getting special treatment and … [Read more...]
Tips and Techniques for Dealing With the Anxiety of Life Transitions
September 5, 2015 By
Fall is coming. The leaves will soon switch colors and temperatures will get cooler. Fall is a season of change, not only for Mother Nature but also for many people adjusting to life transitions, both big and small. Some transitions are chosen such as new careers and home purchases while others are as inevitable as the start of a new school year. Some transitions are traumatic like the loss of a job or the death of a loved one. Regardless of the transition, these changes can challenge our … [Read more...]
Teaching Tolerance: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
July 8, 2015 By
On June 1, the beginning of LGBT Pride month, Vanity Fair released its cover featuring the former Olympic decathlete Bruce Jenner as a glamorous and confident woman named Caitlyn Jenner. The photo was her first public appearance as a transgender woman. The topic of Bruce’s transition to Caitlyn had been nearly impossible to avoid, as it has been a popular topic in the news and on social media for weeks. As expected, there was and is much controversy – some are shocked and disapprove, yet many … [Read more...]
Is Your Child with Special Needs Challenging Your Relationship?
March 30, 2015 By
Anyone who’s been married or in a committed relationship can tell you that trying to blend the needs and priorities of two people to create a happy partnership is no easy feat. Throwing children into the mix makes for even greater challenges as the focus shifts away from you and more time is devoted to the kids. But when one of those children has special needs – such as learning issues, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or falling somewhere on the autism spectrum – the strains … [Read more...]
5 Factors that Promote Resilience
November 1, 2014 By
Recently, I gave a talk to an audience of parents and teachers on resilience, the ability to bounce back, to handle life’s daily challenges, and to overcome adversity. I discussed the five factors that are important to develop resilience: connection to others, communication, confidence, competence and commitment, and control. And I recommended the things that could be done to help children and teens develop resilience - things like taking risks (appropriate to their age, of course), making … [Read more...]