A couple years ago, I went scuba diving for the first time. Before I was permitted to dive, I first had to sit in a classroom and learn how to use the equipment, how to communicate with my companions, and how to respond to potential challenges. Many people could probably be given scuba gear, sent into the water, and they ...READ MORE »
In the last blog, I shared information about The Parenting Pathway, which is my conceptualization of the parenting trek for parents of atypical kids. In my practice with children and parents in the past 25 years, I’ve been struck by how many parents discover so much about themselves as they are parenting and trying to help their children through ...READ MORE »
In order to understand how to manage your stress and reduce feelings of distress, dysfunction, and dysregulation, it is important to understand a core concept related to increasing resiliency: the “Window of Tolerance.” When we encounter challenges, we all experience the feeling of stress in some way, shape, or form. Stress is not inherently good or bad – it is just ...READ MORE »
Trauma symptoms arise when a stressor exceeds our ability to cope in that moment; it is when we move from manageable discomfort that we can respond to, into overwhelming or intolerable pain. In a stressful situation, our nervous system responds by energizing us into fight or flight mode; we confront the challenge, or seek safety. An adaptive response from our ...READ MORE »
I recently went to Hershey Park with my wife and 5 year old daughter. It was a beautiful mid-October day, temps in the mid 70’s, lovely breeze, and the park was packed. It was probably their busiest day of the year. The weather was perfect. I should not be surprised that people like to do things outside when the weather ...READ MORE »
Each month I do a “Mental Health Monday” Q&A on social media, and each month some version of this question comes up: “How am I supposed to handle the sadness/fear/anger about the [insert most recent horrible current events] going on in the world around me?” Honestly, I feel this way too sometimes. The news is pretty grim these days. And ...READ MORE »
As a psychotherapist in Washington, DC who works mostly with adolescent girls, women in their 20s/30s and perinatal women, many of my sessions have been focused on Roe v. Wade being overturned. After the ruling came out, I went to get coffee near my house in Northwest DC. I overheard many conversations focused on the ruling. Most conversations expressed dismay but ...READ MORE »
I feel helpless and heartbroken watching the news about the latest school shooting. I watch from the living room of our home in a quiet suburb in Virginia, where we moved last year after multiple shootings in the alleyway of our beloved rowhouse in NW DC traumatized us into searching for a safer place to live. A place where we ...READ MORE »
Over the past 15 years that I’ve been providing therapy to teens and families in the Washington, DC area, the topic of psychiatric medication has come up frequently. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I don’t prescribe medication and I always recommend discussing questions and concerns with your primary care doctor or psychiatrist; but often I find that I have ...READ MORE »
In a previous blog, I talked about how to recognize what we value as a way to reframe and manage stress. In this blog, I would like to talk about how I use my values to get motivated. In my work as a child/teen, and family therapist in Washington DC, I utilize Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help my ...READ MORE »
TSG is aware of the high level of need for mental health support and treatment for the families in our community and beyond, and an increasingly short supply of available therapists. We are excited to offer new services with immediate daytime availability: Mental Health Consultations. These appointments are a one-time or brief preventive and/or supportive service for individuals and families who are not engaged in therapy at TSG, yet could benefit from consulting with a mental health expert in a variety of ways. Email intake@thesibleygroupdc.com for more information or to schedule a consultation.
Click here for more information on on our new mental health consultation service.
