Thanksgiving is upon us, the annual time of year at the end of November when we gather with friends and family, eat Turkey, stuffing, mac and cheese, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes…you get the point. Turkey is actually my least favorite Thanksgiving food. Give me all the stuffing and in my best Ron Swanson impression, “Wait, wait, I worry ...READ MORE »
Have you ever been in a situation where someone was talking to you and in that process, they were making you feel like you either had to do something to fix the situation for them or that you had done something wrong? Perhaps they were complaining or perhaps they were being downright nasty towards you. Typically, when we find ourselves ...READ MORE »
As a child, adolescent, and family therapist in Washington, DC, I am constantly trying to perfect my craft and learn more about what I do. One of the ways I try to stay abreast of the latest trends and topics is by listening to podcasts. One of my favorite all-time podcast episodes is, “The Problem with the Solution” which is ...READ MORE »
As a child, adolescent, and family therapist in Washington, DC, one of the fundamental aspects of my work deals with relationships. Research has confirmed that in order for therapy to be successful, there needs to be a positive therapeutic relationship between the therapist and client regardless of modality. The importance of relationships does not stop once you exit the therapist’s ...READ MORE »
Over the course of this month, I’ve discussed what I mean when referring to the word “process” therapeutically when I work with children, adolescents, teens, and their families. In the previous two blogs, I have outlined how parents can have appropriate expectations and better communication with their children and teens. In this blog, I want to cover the third aspect ...READ MORE »
As a family therapist in Washington DC and nearby Bethesda, I work with families on communication daily. Last week, I wrote about how our expectations as parents can influence our process of raising children. This week, I want to focus on our process of communication within our families. John Gottman [The Relationship Cure: A 5 Step Guide to Strengthening Your ...READ MORE »
As a therapist in the Washington, DC area working with families, I think a lot about the word, “PROCESS.” Whether abstract or concrete, process can mean several things. Over the course of this month, through three blog posts, I will break down what process means in my therapeutic work with teens, children and families in order to help you understand ...READ MORE »
As a psychotherapist in the Washington DC area, punishment is a topic that comes up in many conversations about parenting in my counseling sessions with children and families. I started this conversation last week in the blog, To Punish or Not To Punish? You can access that blog here https://thesibleygroupdc.com/punish-not-punish/ Different people have different opinions on whether and how much ...READ MORE »
There are many mixed messages out in the world in regards to punishment, especially in the world of parenting. Whether you have a coffee table propped up by parenting books, are reflecting on the way you were raised, or talking with other parents about how they manage behavior, one thing you can be certain of is that everyone has an ...READ MORE »
Kids push our buttons all the time, and I’m not talking about the “easy button.” It happens- it’s one of their jobs and some of them are extremely good at it. The most important thing to keep in mind is our response, not what the child is doing. This is important because it can be a teaching moment. We want to model ...READ MORE »