Losing a loved one is always an incredibly painful experience. It’s not uncommon that even months or years after a loved one has died that you periodically experience grief as though it happened only last week. Often, anniversaries and holidays, like Mother’s Day, are some of the most difficult times … Read More
School and Mental Health: When Parents need to Take Charge
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five school children in the United States suffers in their mental health: anxiety, difficulty focusing and social challenges. As NPR has been reporting in their Mental Health in School series, many schools don’t have the resources to meet their … Read More
Grief That Doesn’t Fit In: Part 2
In part 1 of this series, we took a look at disenfranchised grief. Disenfranchised grief is the category that covers grief that doesn’t have a socially accepted place to be recognized or expressed. Basically, it is the “ugly duckling” grief that people feel they have to hide because others won’t … Read More
Motivation Through the End of the Year
As the days get longer and the weather gets warmer, you and your kids may start to look forward to summer and lose motivation to keep focused on schoolwork and the routine of day-to-day life. Here are a few tips to get your family through the home stretch! Make time … Read More
Marriage and Kids: How Does That Work?
Ready for a surprise? Multiple studies have found that most couples experience a decline in marriage satisfaction during the first three years after a baby is born. Now that doesn’t mean that the parents aren’t thrilled about their new little one, it means that the couple’s emotional connectedness, passion and … Read More
Confessions of a Change Junkie
I am a self-confessed change junkie. I am much happier in the chaos of transition than with the constancy of the status quo. From the color on the walls to something ‘new’ on the grocery store shelf, I crave novelty, diversity, and movement. Over the years, this trait has become … Read More
Grief That Doesn’t Fit In: Part 1
There are tons of books, podcasts, shows, and blogs that address the topic of grief. Everyone experiences grief at some point in their life. It is the emotion that results when something or someone important to you is no longer in your life. Mourning is what happens when grief goes … Read More
Vulnerability Takes Courage
“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.” ~ Brene Brown Most people associate the idea of vulnerability with weakness.They want to avoid being vulnerable in any capacity so they are not taken advantage of or hurt. The need to … Read More
Leaking is a Toxic Behavior Parents should Avoid: Part 1
What is leaking? Leaking is a term coined by Dr. Patricia Papernow, step-family and post-divorce expert, which describes what parents do and say to blame and/or undermine the other parent in the presence of their children. In my practice, I hear examples of leaking from many parents contemplating a divorce. … Read More
Complain, but Don’t Criticize
If you are in a committed relationship, you are occasionally going to complain about your partner. Valid complaints help us grow and become better partners. But how do you complain without it resulting in a fight? The key is to soften how the complaint is voiced. In Dr. John Gottman’s research, … Read More