How to Love Bad Kids: Unconditional Positive Regard
You can be anything you want to be, we’ll love you no matter what, my parents used to say. But what if I got bad grades and was mean to…
Parenting
Yes, No, Maybe So: Conscious Consent and Boundary Setting
Consent is now a word trending on social media and for good reason. The #metoo movement looms large as people are speaking out about sometimes decades old boundary violations that…
Controlling Screen Time for Children with ADHD
Parents are often concerned about their child’s screen time and report difficulty enforcing limits. Screen time includes time with all screens including social media, online gaming, and watching videos. Enforcing…
When Teens or 20-Somethings Think You’re Bugging Them, But Really They’re Bugging You
Many parents feel constrained and controlled by their teen’s irritability, anger, and fragility — circumventing necessary communications, problem solving, and limit setting. The need to steer clear of dreaded reactions…
Are You Raising Your Grandchildren?
When I arrived at Rosa’s house, she was making popcorn for her two grandsons, ages 8 and 6. The kids greeted me, then happily took their snack out to the…
What Parents Can Do When Their Child Is Anxious
When anxiety and avoidance behavior interfere with life activities in the family, school, or the community, a child may have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental…
The Effects of Screen Time on Children
Among the parenting world, many topics can become points of contention. Is this idea the right or wrong way to parent? Will it have a positive or negative effect on…
Teaching Children Mindfulness
In our practice, we’ve noticed how more and more adults are becoming familiar with the concept of mindfulness. We know that mindfulness benefits us and improves our ability to be…
More Evidence Fortnite Is Bad for Your Child’s Health
The world’s most popular online video game costs nothing to play, is available on seven different platforms, has more than 200 million registered players worldwide, and its CEO is now…
Losing Touch: Revisiting the Importance of Touch and Physical Play in Childhood Development
Touch and physical play are instrumental to healthy child development in many domains. We are wired to move, to experience each other in space and time beyond words. In recent…
There Is No Evidence That Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria Exists
Rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD) is the name given to a hypothesized new clinical subgroup of transgender youth, which would be characterized by coming out as transgender out of the blue…
Understanding Your Child by Observing Their Play, Part 2: Mastering Life
This is Part 2 in a 2-part series. Read Understanding Your Child by Observing Their Play, Part 1: Wishes and Desires. Children can be understood by observing their play. All…
Understanding Your Child by Observing Their Play, Part 1: Wishes and Desires
Children can be a mystery. Just like grown ups, they can be moody and have big feelings. But with kids, it’s hard for them to articulate and understand what’s on…
Patterns from the Past: Relational Implications of Avoidant and Anxious-Ambivalent Cultures
When we are in an intimate relationship and feel vulnerable, defensive or shameful, usually it’s our old stuff that is being triggered — patterns of interaction that we developed with our…
Why It’s Important to Explore Your Past in Therapy—Even When It Seems Unrelated
There’s a prevailing belief that exploring your past in therapy is pointless. A complete waste of time. After all, talking about past circumstances doesn’t change them. It’s also self-indulgent and…
