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How to Support a Child’s Mental Health
A child’s mental health is often not considered, especially with very young children. In reality, though, children of all ages can struggle with mental health issues. According to the CDC, 1 in 6 children aged 2-8 years has a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder (17.4%). ADHD, depression, and anxiety are common areas of concern seen in children aged 3-17 years. With proper knowledge, we can learn how to support a child’s mental health. What Does Positive Mental Health Look Like? Learning and implementing effective coping skills for challenging behaviors influences positive mental health. Having a toolbox of coping skills can help your child function better at home and at school.…
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5 Ways to Support Children with ADHD
Does your child have ADHD? Do you ever feel stuck or overwhelmed trying to connect and communicate with your ADHD child? You are not alone. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is very common in children. Children with ADHD can have difficulty paying attention and concentrating. They can also be hyperactive or impulsive. While some children cope well with their symptoms, other children have more difficulty. Here are five ways you can support children with ADHD. Create a Schedule Making a schedule and sticking to it may seem impossible for busy parents. Creating a schedule, though, can make your child’s day organized and predictable. Parents can begin by slowly integrating…
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4 Ways To Cope With Anxiety
Have you ever woken up and felt anxious? Almost like there is a weight on your chest that you can’t explain? You dread starting the day and want to crawl back in bed and hide from the world around you. Do you find it hard to cope with anxiety? This is the whisper (or yell) of anxiety trying to creep its way in. In my own life and work as a therapist, I have found that anxiety, in some form or fashion, is something many people struggle with. With everything happening in the world, it’s not surprising. For some anxiety is debilitating, for others it is a small feeling that…
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3 Reasons to Consider Online Therapy
Have you ever thought about talking to a counselor or mental health professional? If so, then online therapy could be a way to get the help you need from the comfort of your own home. Here are 3 reasons to consider online therapy. This year has been tough. And if a pandemic wasn’t enough, add two hurricanes, winter weather, and life struggles into the mix, and naturally stress levels go up. When everything shut down last year, to help individuals navigate the uncertainty and emotions of this new reality online therapy moved to the forefront of mental health care. Before COVID, online therapy (also called teletherapy) was starting to become…
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Does My Child Need Counseling?
When you see your child struggling, it can be hard to know what to do as a parent. In those moments you may wonder, “Are they going through a phase or is this something more?” Most of the time it’s not always clear as to what is going on or what you should do, leaving you with the question, “Does my child or teen need counseling?” There is no parenting manual I often ask parents when they come into my office if they ever received the manual on how to deal with all the challenges parenting throws their way. Out of the hundreds of parents I’ve asked over the course…
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Finding a Therapist for Your Child
Finding the right therapist for your child can be challenging. Especially, when you don’t know where to start or what questions you should be asking. I get it! Before I became a child and adolescent therapist, I wouldn’t have known where to go if I needed to seek help for my own child. It can be confusing. Finding the right therapist for your child can make all the difference in the life of your child and family. Below I outline a few common questions parents have related to finding a therapist for their child. What’s the difference between mental health professionals (counselor, therapist, LPC, LCSW, PhD)? There are a lot…
