Childhood mental health concerns have been on the rise over the last 10 years but significantly increased since 2020. Stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and racial inequality have only exacerbated underlying mental health concerns in our youngest patients.
Relational problems associated with family upbringing or one’s primary support group are common stressors that come up in therapy, especially for those seeking strategies and support around conflict-resolution.
As humans, we are wired for connection. As infants, we relied on our caregiver(s) to provide safety, stability, and love. Through attachment, children and adults develop trust and learn to regulate emotions. As children, we learned to socialize through interactions with siblings and other children.
Can you think of a recent conversation in which you felt judged, bullied, blamed, or criticized by your partner? Do you find yourself becoming defensive within communication or reacting in anger during difficult conversations, only to feel more disconnected and dissatisfied in your relationship(s)?
Parenting can be hard. There are good days and not-so-good days, however when the good days feel few and far between it can have a big impact on our mental health.
Did you know that there are awesome psychological-benefits for adult friendships? As an adult, you may find your friendships taking a back seat to other aspects of your life; however, making and maintaining meaningful friendships is not only good for mental health, but offers quite a few added benefits.
Allies are so important to adolescent psychosocial identity development and mental health well-being. Adolescence is a key developmental period where youth are exploring and forming identity.
This Father’s Day, let’s not forget about dad! While mothers play a significant role in a child’s overall wellness, fathers-influence-development-and-well-being too!
Postpartum is the magical time when you have your baby and you can finally sleep again and all your dreams are coming true – right? If you are a (new) parent – you probably laughed and / or scoffed at that statement.
Accepting Differences: One way to work with kids and teens on fostering healthy relationships is by building skills around empathy. An aspect of practicing empathy is learning to accept and appreciate differences.
