Comforting your teen series Part 3 A common roadblock that keeps kids from confiding in their parents is the “I’ll solve it” scenario. Teens want to be heard and seen just like us. They don’t want someone telling them what to do about their sadness. They want to be listened to and comforted. I see [...]
Comforting your teen series Part 2 Think about when your kids were little and they scraped their knee. Or when someone hurt their feelings on the playground and they were filled with sadness. Their first reaction was to call out or run to you. You sat with them, listened, and reassured them it would all [...]
Comforting your teen series Part 1 I spend my days being with people in their emotional world. I help them process and express how they are feeling, sit with their own emotions, and at times, tolerate the uncomfortableness that emotions can cause for us all. I help make sense of what they’re feeling and help [...]
When someone is struggling with their mental health, such as depression, anxiety, and or suicidal thoughts, they can feel very alone. If you have never had thoughts of suicide or dealt with depression and anxiety it might be hard to imagine what they are going through and challenging to know what to do. We live [...]
How Do You Get Your Kids to Tell You Stuff? With the rise in mental health issues among young children and teens; it is more important than ever to stay connected and know what’s going on in your child/teen’s life. I remember hiding in my room when I was a teen, but now our kids [...]
Conflict Is Going To Occur AND Conflict Is Needed... to some degree! Constructive conflict can lead to growth and change. If you take the time at a young age to show your children the process of healthy conflict, things can go much smoother the next time a disagreement occurs and will serve them in the [...]
What percentage of interaction between you and your teen is positive? Or should I say, “perceived” positive? I ask this question with every teenager and family I work with. You would be surprised by the answers I receive and disconnect between parent and teen on what is actually perceived as a positive interaction between them. [...]
