In times past, when a child or teen was suffering with anxiety, depression or other mental health issues we would just consider counseling and medicine. Now, we know how critical healthy, nutritious food is to the brain and it's role in our mood. The truth is, what we put in our body directly affects how… Continue reading Is Food Influencing My Child or Teen’s Mood? Using the DBT Skill, PLEASE
In DBT, there are two groups of skills that fall under the module, distress tolerance, crisis survival and reality acceptance. Today’s skill, turning the mind is a reality acceptance skill. Let’s take a step back for a moment, and remind readers about distress tolerance. These skills help youth to bear pain, and to non-judgmentally accept… Continue reading DBT Skill, Turning the Mind; and DBT Skills for Parents and Teachers: Validation and Self Regulation
As the parent of a graduating adoptee or foster child, you probably have been pondering numerous choices as your teen finishes high school, such as which college, technical school, or community college to attend; financial aid and scholarships; room mates and living arrangements. As a therapist who specializes in adoption, foster care, and trauma; I… Continue reading When Young Adult Adoptees & Foster Kids Leave Home for The First Time
The biosocial theory states that some people are born with a genetic predisposition to being emotionally sensitive. These individuals are emotionally reactive and have a hard time coming back to their baseline calm; and when the genetic predisposition is coupled with an invalidating environment it causes the child or teen to develop a pattern of… Continue reading 4 Handy Tips to Change Your Home or School Environment From Invalidating to Validating and Calm
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, or FASD, describes the range of effects that occur from prenatal alcohol exposure which affects 1 in 100 infants every year. FASD is not a genetic condition and is 100% preventable; it develops in infants whose birth mothers drank alcohol during her pregnancy. FASD causes mental, physical, behavioral, and/or learning disabilities. There… Continue reading FASD: What Is It?
I recently polled the moms and dads in my facebook group to ask what blog posts they would like to read this year. One of the parents asked "Why is my child is not improving in therapy?" which spurred me to write this blog post. Please contact me if you have any suggestions or questions;… Continue reading 6 Reasons Why Your Child or Teen’s Counseling Isn’t Helping
Dialectical Behavior Therapy or "DBT" therapy was created by psychologist, Dr. Marsha Linehan. She initially created this therapy for individuals with chronic suicidality and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). (If you would like to read more about BPD and it's DSM 5 criteria, Dr. Robert Friedel has an informative blog post on his site, "Borderline Personality… Continue reading Borderline Personality Disorder, Insecure Attachment, and The Role of Dialectical Behavior Therapy
DBT SKILLS: A LIFE IN BALANCE (This article was initially published in the June 2017 edition of Adoption Today. Please see citation at the end of the article.) Today, adolescent mental health is a concern our society, and around the world. Just reflecting on the names Columbine and Sandy Hook bring clear memories of devastation,… Continue reading DBT Skills: A Life In Balance
6 Practical Strategies to Improve Secure Attachment Cathy adopted her sixteen year old daughter, Rachel, from foster care at eight months of age. Cathy shares, “Rachel is on the dance team at school. This week they performed in front of the whole school, and Rachel was really nervous!” “I saw her walk into the gym,… Continue reading 6 Practical Strategies to Improve Secure Attachment
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