Untangling Our Wired Lives: A Plan for Parenting On and Offline

If you find yourself wondering if your time on the Internet and social media is harming your child, then you’ll want to read on. According to recent research, children as young as eight are experiencing a host of problems due to social media use. Even Randi Zuckerberg, sister of Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, wants to help us untangle our wired lives. She recently started an online community called Dot Complicated and has published a new children’s picture book Dot., about a little girl … [Read more...]

Cognitive Therapy: Taking Control of Your Negative Thoughts and Feelings

Maybe a few of these situations sound familiar? Does bad luck creep into your life often? Do you find it hard to shake off a passing comment from a friend? Do you frequently anticipate aggravating conversations with coworkers? Are you physically tired due to a lack of sleep from feeling depressed and anxious? Do you overreact when your child misbehaves? Your frustrations and feelings of sadness, anger, and anxiousness may seem uncontrollable, but did you know that you could learn tools … [Read more...]

Back-to-school, Back-to-Busy?

Back-to-school: It’s exciting (New clothes! New notebooks! Structure! Childcare!), but stressful too, because it brings with it: homework, the sleep schedule adjustment and, of course, an overwhelming array of afterschool activities. I believe that parents should expose their children to a broad range of activities, so that a child can develop a passion. But I warn parents to be on their guard, especially in the new school year, that they don’t let their children become involved in too many … [Read more...]

Understanding Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Day is Thursday, June 27th. Millions of children and adults across the United States suffer from the effects of PTSD, and evidence suggests that over seven million adults suffer from the disorder each year. As these numbers continue to rise, both government and mental health professionals pursue ways to control the growing epidemic. Many people associate PTSD with a soldier who has … [Read more...]

Mental Health of Families Displaced by Hurricane Sandy

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...]