When getting to know and understand my patients, I always ask the following: When life becomes stressful and difficult, do you tend to ignore your emotional pain, or do you stop to care for and nurture your pain? Most of my patients admit to ignoring their emotional pain, or the thoughts and feelings that are uncomfortable and distressing. For many...[ read more ]
What inspired you to pursue a career as a therapist? I guess the most honest answer is that I was a sensitive young man early in life! Growing up in my generation, it seemed that boys were caught in the middle of being taught to be open to their emotions, while simultaneously being taught to disconnect from those emotions. As...[ read more ]
Teen mental health is an important component of raising your teen. Since 2001, the the number of young people that die by suicide has been on the rise, increasing each year. As more and more teens struggle with depression and anxiety, it’s more important than ever that we, as parents, are aware of their struggle, and that we know what...[ read more ]
No stage of parenting is easy. Every age has it’s challenges, not the least of which are the teen years. Unlike the sleepless nights of infancy and the tantrums of toddlerhood, you no longer have a cute, smiling, chubby cheeked face to look upon in between outbursts. Instead, your sweet, snuggly child has been replaced with a surly faced, eye...[ read more ]
The world was drastically changed back in March of this year. And, as the months go by, it is becoming more and more clear that Covid-19 is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. This month saw many kids returning to school, whether it be in person, online, or a hybrid of both. And just like that, children...[ read more ]
The last few months have been unprecedented. All over the world, the emergence of Covid-19 has brought about changes that we never could have anticipated, leaving everyone reeling in ways we couldn't have imagined. One of these changes was the shutting down of schools worldwide. Suddenly, the routine of millions of children was disrupted overnight, with parents scrambling to understand...[ read more ]
While many have begun to return to life as normally as we can amidst Covid-19, many have opted to continue living in a restricted manner. As we head into month five of implementing precautions to keep ourselves physically healthy, the question begs to be asked: what about our mental health? While self isolation can play a key role in reducing...[ read more ]
We’ve been living alongside COVID-19 for over 3 months now, and many are asking if we’ll ever get back to “normal life.” But what IS normal these days? While the act of grabbing a mask on the way out the door seemed foreign and awkward just a few months ago, today, many find it as natural as grabbing their keys...[ read more ]
In the past month, there have been some new phrases added to our vocabularies, one of which is “social distancing.” We now know the importance of staying six-feet apart from each other, avoiding crowds, even staying away from family and friends. While this is vitally important right now, It can be a real struggle, leaving us feeling alone during already...[ read more ]
These are unprecedented times. They feel a little crazy and surreal, yet as we are now realizing—so very necessary. Our worlds have been turned upside down—jobs are being done at home, kids are being homeschooled, our lifestyles have been put on hold. All of this while a global health crisis threatens to enter our homes and cause harm to our...[ read more ]