Accept, Change or Eliminate Deciding how to approach challenges or issues we face in our life can sometimes leaves us stuck in the problem. “What should I do?” “How should I handle this?” “I don’t even know where to start.” These are questions/statements that many of us tell ourselves when we are confused and faced
Healing Attachments Attachment—the critical bond that develops between baby and primary caregivers–is one of the most important aspects of infancy and early childhood. The nature and quality of our earliest attachments tends to affect all our relationships, “from cradle to grave.” When circumstances such as adoption, illness, financial stress, loss, or lack of family support
Why does abandonment make us feel so cruddy? A common feeling for people who have abandonment issues is an intense fear of being left or rejected by another, especially someone important in our life. Abandonment issues are usually the result of unresolved painful feelings associated with: experiencing an important loss/death earlier in life being raised
Why do kids need structure? It’s simple really. 1) Sense of security and safety: Children need structure to ensure their physical and emotional safety, which is a key instinct for anyone. Environments that are unstructured can negatively affect a child’s development 2) Learning! Learning is a part of life, no matter what age or stage
What is the difference between shame and guilt? Shame and guilt are two very powerful emotions that can affect the way we live our lives and the way we interact with others. Shame is the feeling of being unworthy, usually coming from a place of negatively judging oneself. Guilt is similar in that it also
Cyber Bullying New technologies, such as cell phones, social networking sites, and instant messaging have been embraced by pre teens, teens, and young adults at a rapid pace. These technologies can be used for good use such as staying in contact with friends and family, as well as providing entertainment and news. However, some technological
Oppositional Defiant Disorder Is your child or teen acting defiant? We all know, it is not unusual for children to defy authority every now and then. It is common for children to go through the “terrible twos” or “threenager” stage. Adolescents in their early teens may also go through this as many things are changing
Your child’s self-esteem matters Healthy self-esteem is essential for everyone, especially children. Let’s be real, it takes a lot of confidence to be a kid. With it being starting a new school or trying out for the soccer team- being a kid can be difficult. This is one reason why self-esteem is so important. For
Anxiety is a biological response designed to keep us safe when it functions properly. Our body responds to threatening or difficult situations with anxiety as a way of warning us that danger may exist. This biological response motivates us and prepares us to cope with whatever alarming situation or event lies ahead. Anxiety becomes problematic
The effect of PTSD can be far-reaching. This can be a debilitating disorder, and its symptoms can have a negative impact on a number of different areas in a person’s life. In particular, PTSD can negatively effect a person’s mental health, physical health, work, and relationships. Some of the difficulties that people experience in these areas are
The impact of divorce on children introduces a massive change into the life of a boy or girl no matter what the age. Witnessing loss of love between parents, having parents break their marriage commitment, adjusting to going back and forth between two different households, and the daily absence of one parent while living with the other,
What you need to know when you have a loss Loss is something we all experience in different ways throughout our lifetime. The most common type of loss that comes to mind is the death of a loved one. Other examples include divorce, getting laid off from work, or becoming disabled as a result of
What is EMDR? Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy approach that has helped a variety of people of all ages relieve many types of psychological distress. It was developed by Dr. Francine Shaprio, who made a chance observation that eye moments can reduce the intensity of disturbing thoughts under certain conditions. No
After several requests to put this relaxation podcast on the website, here it is. Take the parts that work for you and use them. Not everyone will benefit from this, however, using a relaxation technique such as this one, has been shown to help decrease anxiety and worry and increases clarity and feeling safe.
In today’s society, it is really hard growing up. Our children today, have to compete against not only everyone in their school, but now with social media the way it is, they also need to compete with every other child all over the country on these platforms. Ugh! What pressure it is to look like
