Parenting
Graduation: A Time to Celebrate and Let Them Thrive
Graduation season is here! Soon, your child will be donning a graduation cap and gown, many photos will be taken, and celebrations will ensue. As a parent, you’re feeling pride and excitement, paired with a little bit of sadness. Your child is stepping into a whole new phase of life, and so are you. Graduations […]
8 Tips to Manage Your Anger When Working With a Teen
Time with teenagers can be deeply rewarding! As a former middle school counselor, I relished the opportunity to make a meaningful impact. Adolescence is a powerful stage of growth, and working with teens allows us to be part of a critical time in their lives as they discover who they truly are. And let’s be […]
Development Across the Lifespan: Adolescence
We are officially out of the childhood stage of Erik Erikson’s journey through psychosocial development and onto a stage marked by rapid change, exploration and growth: adolescence. eight stages highlight a psychosocial conflict that influences personality development. As a play therapist, I’ll apply Erikson’s concepts to help support your teen’s brain and identity development while […]
Staying Connected Through the Teen Years
AH yes, the teenage years. A time when your normally happy and easy-going child turns into a moody stranger almost overnight. Power struggles over the simplest things can turn into battles that last days or weeks. Many parents find themselves feeling disconnected from their child as they reach adolescence. Despite that disconnect, it’s more important […]
Development Across the Lifespan: Late Childhood
Our next stop on Erik Erikson’s journey through psychosocial development takes us to late childhood. Each of Erikson’s eight stages highlights a core psychosocial conflict that shapes personality development. As a play therapist, I’ll apply Erikson’s concepts to help support your child’s brain and personality development, laying the groundwork for a fulfilling life. Join me […]
Development Across the Lifespan: Play Age
Onwards and upwards! Welcome back to exploring the third stage in Erik Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development. Each of Erikson’s eight stages highlights a core psychosocial conflict that shapes personality development. As a play therapist, I’ll apply Erikson’s concepts to help support your child’s brain and personality development, laying the groundwork for a fulfilling life. […]
Development Across the Lifespan: Early Childhood
We’re now moving onto early childhood, the second stage in Erik Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development. Each of the eight stages denotes a specific psychosocial conflict as a defining characteristic of personality development. As I am a play therapist, we will be applying Erikson’s concepts to aid in fostering your child’s brain and personality development […]
Development Across the Lifespan: Infancy
Welcome one and all to the start of our series exploring Erik Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development. Each of the eight stages denotes a psychosocial conflict as a defining characteristic of personality development. As I am a play therapist, we will be applying Erikson’s concepts to aid in fostering your child’s brain and personality development […]
When Your Child’s Needs Go Beyond School Counseling
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023), there has been a troubling increase in adolescent mental health disorders, suicidality, and distressing emotional and behavioral patterns. This issue that has now been declared a national crisis. Schools can serve as a critical first point of contact for recognizing these mental health concerns. While […]
I Turned Out Okay: A Deep Dive into Authoritarian Parenting
This blog may be a bit different than previous blogs as we are taking a magnifying glass to authoritarian parenting, specifically the use of physical punishment. We are going to look at research and neurology to see what exactly is going on in your child’s brain when spanking is used as a disciplinary measure. We […]