Teen Counseling
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 […]
Finding The Right Therapist: A Simple 3-Step Guide
So you’ve decided you want to embark on your therapeutic journey and begin attending therapy sessions. Congratulations! This is a big step towards growth and self-reflection, and can be something that takes a lot of courage and bravery to begin. Now comes the logistics…how do I even find a therapist? How do I choose one […]
Clarifying Therapy Buzzwords
If you’re on social media, as most are nowadays, you’ve probably seen or heard several commonly misused therapeutic terms. Out of the various therapeutic terms, some of the most common ones that I’ve noticed are the following: narcissist, gaslighting, and trauma bonding. While these terms can be more readily understood by someone who is familiar […]
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 […]
Avoiding Inner Experiences
Have you ever felt trapped by your own thoughts or emotions, and decide “not today, I’m not going to think or feel that”? An instant ease can be highly sought after, and pushing down the thoughts or emotions can feel like the only way to manage in day-to-day life. Avoiding inner experiences can be relieving. […]
The Benefits and Beauty of Embracing Acceptance
One of the most powerful tools for living a fulfilling life is acceptance. Acceptance plays an extremely dynamic part in mental health and the optimization of emotional well-being. At its foundation, acceptance simply the notion of embracing present feelings, emotions, experiences and thoughts just as they are. It is being at peace with things beyond […]
Freedom from Failure
Let me set the scene: You are in a group setting for the first time (school, work, friend group, etc.). A customary practice for first-time meetings is an icebreaker question or activity. They come in all shapes and sizes, but for our scenario, we will go with, “What is your biggest fear?” We would typically […]