Recently I was asked to give a talk about how people can communicate better with one another. I was searching my files and found a handout that I have used in my practice for years. It is called The Ten Commandments of Clean Communication. It was given to me by a former mentor, and it has no attribution on it, so I don’t know if she wrote it herself, or if it came from a book she read many years ago. As I looked it over, I thought it was the best set of communication guidelines I have seen, … [Read more...]
The Benefits of Telemedicine
August 13, 2020 By
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, I was unsure of how I would feel about seeing my clients online. It was so nice to sit in my real office, see their facial expressions and body language, and say goodbye with a smile, or perhaps a hug. And for the children that I treat, there was always a stuffed animal to take home or a puzzle to play with. Now that we are 5 months into working virtually, I can say that I truly appreciate the benefits of telemedicine, or telehealth as some call it. … [Read more...]
Helping Anxious Kids During the Time of Coronavirus
May 11, 2020 By
Most of the time, children are resilient. They bounce back pretty quickly. Of course, there are always those kids who have a harder time with change or with difficult circumstances, kids that Dr. Thomas Boyce refers to as the “orchids” in the greenhouse They are the ones who are more sensitive to their environment than usual and require more attention than the average child. Understanding the Orchid Child Today, however, it may feel like every child is an orchid. With the coronavirus … [Read more...]
Four Sentences That Lead to Wisdom
February 25, 2020 By
I love to read mysteries. Perhaps that is why I like being a psychologist so much. I think of each person as a puzzle with one or two pieces missing and try to figure out how to help each client find the right pieces to become happier, more productive, have better relationships, feel less anxious, or be better at what they do. Recently, I was reading a mystery by Louise Penny and found a few sentences that really got to me. Here they are. … [Read more...]
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Self-Doubt
January 9, 2020 By
One of the most interesting dialogues about women today continues to be their pervasive self-doubt, known as Imposter Syndrome. Many women who have achieved success in business, school, or life in general, still struggle with a belief that they are frauds, that they do not deserve their success, that they have somehow managed to dupe their way up the ladder. They focus on their failures instead of their successes and internalize negative messages they may get from others. From … [Read more...]