marriage and family therapist

Estelle Eramus at The New York Times recently wrote about a new approach to bullying; her findings are summarized below. If you are a parent, chances are you’ve worried about the possibility of your kid being bullied or bullying someone else, if you haven’t already experienced it with your child. It’s likely that there was less conversation about bullying when you were younger, but nowadays you frequently hear reports of bullying and theories about how to stop…

I work with many clients who are living with anxiety whether it be related to their personal or professional life, or perhaps both. My job as their clinical therapist is to help the clients understand possible factors/triggers/reasons why they are feeling anxious. Once we work together to figure that out, I help them with possible coping skills to manage their anxiety. Some of my clients are not only addressing their own anxiety, but they also have children…

Parenting is one of the most complex journeys that an individual can experience in their lifetime. As people begin their parenting journey, they likely have ideas and hopes for what their children will be like and how they will fit into the world. If you are a parent, you can maybe remember a time when you envisioned a certain parenthood experience that you thought you wanted, for yourself and for your child(ren). If you’ve had some experience…

As a parent, do you ever feel like you get overwhelmed?  Or do you feel like you forget the “simplicity” of life before you had a child?  Or do you wish that you could get back the quiet and calm times you had prior to being a parent?  If you can relate to any of these questions, then here are a few ideas to bring you back some peace of mind. 1.Take a breath. Pause and intentionally…

As a clinician, I have encouraged clients with positive psychology tips in their daily lives, often mentioning ideas such as using “self-affirmations” or a “reframing” perspective. A self-affirmation might be an encouraging or praising thought for something they either like about themselves or felt they did well at. A reframing perspective is looking at a stressful situation through a different lens/paradigm. Or I might encourage clients to practice gratitude in their lives — identifying things they are…

I work with many clients who discuss feeling anxious due to a number of stressors, whether it be related to their professional or personal life. Some clients even discuss feeling worried or anxious related to noticing their children exhibiting symptoms of anxiety as well. I recently read an article from The New York Times that touched on this topic, “How to Help a Child with an Anxiety Disorder” by author Perri Klass, M.D. Dr. Klass discusses several…

While many women experience mild mood changes or “the blues” during or after the birth of a child, 1 in 5-to-7 women experience more significant symptoms of depression or anxiety. Also, 1-in-10 dads become depressed and anxious during the first year as well. If these feelings are lasting past the two-week mark, they are no longer just “the blues.” The baby blues last no more than 2 days to 2 weeks, often due to the extreme hormone…

Depression makes us sad and fearful of having emotions, and we do not feel anything but sadness and lack of enjoyment in our daily lives. After having a baby, those feelings can also occur, and it is called Postpartum Depression (PPD.) Just like depression, symptoms might start after a triggering moment, and with PPD, it is after delivering your baby. PPD symptoms include moodiness (mood swings), difficulty connecting with your baby, and not being able to make…