Mental Health Blog

Parenting a Teenage Girl

Parenting A Teenage Girl A roll of her eyes, sighing, “attitude”, arguments, pushing limits.  If you are the parent of a teenage girl, you may be all too familiar with these themes. What happened, you may think to yourself, to the sweet girl who used to love going to the park with me, having tea parties, and snuggling on the...[ read more ]

Benefits of Co-Parenting (And How to Do It)

When two people decide to separate or divorce, the first question they usually must answer is, “What’s best for the children?” Well, according to the Third International Conference on Shared Parenting, co-sponsored by the National Parents Organization and the International Council on Shared Parenting, children need both parents in their life, no matter how those two adults feel about each...[ read more ]

How Family Therapy Can Help During This Lingering Covid Crisis

It has been almost a year since the world changed with the Covid-19 virus. After months and months of being locked down, many families are experiencing burnout from being forced to be home together so much.While the vaccines are being rolled out, we are still getting mixed reports and messages from the media as to when life might return to...[ read more ]

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury

It is a common misconception that if someone is cutting themselves, that they are trying to kill themselves. Sometimes when people hurt themselves, they are trying to relieve some sort of emotional pain or tension. When they are experiencing negative and emotional thoughts, they may self-harm to regain a sense of control of their bodies and pain. Some may self-harm...[ read more ]

Helping Kids Cope with Divorce

Divorce isn’t easy for anyone, but children can take it particularly hard. Many children don’t understand what is happening and many more feel the divorce is somehow their fault.  Here’s how you can help your child cope:Communicate OpenlyThe divorce should be explained in simple and straightforward terms. If at all possible, both parents should be part of the conversation. Your language...[ read more ]

What Determines Gender Identity and How Can Parents Help?

What makes someone feel they have been born into the wrong body? Gender identity is a prominent topic these days thanks to the transgender movement, yet many people are still uncertain about what causes this issue.What is it, exactly, that determines whether an individual thinks of themselves as “male” or “female” or something else or neither of these two options?...[ read more ]

How to Bring Up Resilient Children

Have you heard the phrase “helicopter parent?” It describes a mother or father that ‘hovers’ around their child 24/7, overseeing their life to keep them from every potential danger, pitfall and mishap. It looks good on paper, but this kind of parenting forgets one important fact of reality: life happens.Adversity happens to all of us. Those children who engage with adversity...[ read more ]

How to Talk to an Angry Teenager

It's well known that the teen years are the most trying time for parents. It may seem like their rebellion is personal, and that they're determined to make your home life miserable; but in reality, this is a natural process. Your teenager is maturing both physically and emotionally, and their brain is still developing. When their frontal cortex develops in...[ read more ]

How to Lovingly Parent a Depressed Child

Being a parent is the hardest job on the planet. But being a parent of a child with a mental illness can feel unbearable at times.All parents want to do what’s right for their kids, but when your child is sick, either physically or mentally, the desire to “get it right” becomes even more intense.If you are the parent of...[ read more ]

Keeping Teens Safe

If you are the parent of a teen, there is probably no greater concern you have than his or her safety. Whether heading off to school, or an outing with friends, it is likely you have said it a thousand times, “Be careful!” Parents worry about accidents, Internet predators, and the temptation for teens to be enticed by cigarettes/vaping, alcohol,...[ read more ]



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