In my previous blog, “Adolesence Part 1,” I talked briefly about what adolescence is. In this blog, I will talk about some strategies to consider that may be helpful in interacting with your adolescent through this tumultuous period. The foundation of everything in regards to the people we care about is our relationship. The Latin word for relationship is necessitudo ...READ MORE »
In my work as a therapist in Washington DC at The Sibley Group and throughout my career, the main population I have worked with are adolescents and their families. This period of life can be very challenging for everyone involved, from the adolescents themselves, to their parents, to school staff and so on. It is not uncommon for me to ...READ MORE »
From our last two posts, we can begin to teach our kids that asking for and accepting help are actual key skills in learning to advocate for their own learning. But parents often want to know what to do when their child resists asking for help or refuses help when it is offered. Here are a few concepts to ...READ MORE »
This post is the second in a series of three posts on how to help your child self advocate for him/herself both in the classroom and with his/her homework tasks. As a parent/family therapist, I am often helping parents with strategies on how they can help their children grow skills in a certain area. Here are some questions that ...READ MORE »
March and April are the months when our families take spring break, and our students manage parent-teacher conferences. At TSG, we work with students all year long on how they can learn skills to help them cope better and manage school pressures with greater confidence. Yet, many parents ask us how they can teach kids self advocacy skills, specifically ...READ MORE »
Do you have a child who is strangely smart and uniquely different (aka rather difficult at times as well)? I certainly do. He’s the one who watches YouTube videos to figure out how to build the perfect candy dispenser. He also is fascinated with the human anatomy and bodily functions, and follows a physician youtuber who refutes health remedies ...READ MORE »
As we start a new year under the umbrella of COVID-19, Delta, Omicron, or IHU as parents, educators, and mental health professionals we are pondering the impact of COVID on children from infants to young adults. Lockdowns, cancellations, virtual, and asynchronous learning has shown us that reframing life day by day is our new normal. The impacts of COVID-19 on children ...READ MORE »
I’m writing this note on the eve of Thanksgiving, and at the onset of our holiday season, which is filled with joy, fun, and often lots and lots of partying for teens, young (and old) adults. Since I quit drinking a couple of years ago, I’ve paid much greater attention to how we equate drinking with fun. Partying=drinking or ...READ MORE »
Why play? Parents hear the term ‘play therapy’ as a recommendation from physicians and mental health professionals all the time…but how can play be therapeutic? Parents, this is an incredibly appropriate question to ask your provider and it makes sense that you want to know how investing time and money to see your little one play in a therapy room is ...READ MORE »
With the world reopening and social connections blossoming, it’s a good time to think about one of the more dreaded parent topics: The Birds and The Bees, a.k.a. Sex. As a Child & Adolescent Therapist and Sex Educator, it is my goal to help parents get more comfortable with having these talks with their children. Talking to kids about sex, ...READ MORE »
