How to Have Genuine Conversations With Your Teen
Getting your teen to open up and participate in a genuine conversation can be difficult. So, how do you foster a genuine conversation based on truth, mutual respect, and understanding?Read More
The Amygdala Hijack
Over the years, I have noticed the increased worry, anxiousness, and what-if patterns among my loved ones when it comes to awaiting information from their healthcare provider. The reality is the degree of worrying we apply in our lives has never and will never impact the outcome—either for the better or worse.Read More
What's Feeling Got To Do With It?
“Humans first, work second,” is often how I move into check-ins. In work meetings I facilitate, I ask the question: “How are you feeling?” at the start of the meeting. A common response is: "I don’t know how I’m feeling. Can I see the wheel?” because they know I’m expecting more of an answer than “well,” “fine,” or “good.” This is where the feelings wheel comes into play.Read More
Nurturing Your Child in Today's Busy World
With so many things competing for our attention these days, it is more important than ever to be intentional about nurturing your child’s wellbeing. Wellbeing consists of healthy physical, mental, cognitive, and social-emotional health and there are many ways to support it.Read More
How You Can Manage Stress in Your Daily Life
As we try to navigate the events of the past year, it is no wonder we are all experiencing added stress in our lives. Managing stress takes work, but if done regularly, you will feel like the stress coming in your life is more manageable. The goal is not to eliminate stress, but to deal with it more effectively through small shifts in your thinking, actions, and behaviors.Read More
Fostering Through the Toughness
I am a foster parent. I was given all the training and tools my brain could absorb about development, trauma, how to build relationships, how to repair relationships, ways to manage difficult behavior, and tips for self-care. I love to learn, and I love putting new information into practice. I feel like I parent well. And yet on the toughest of days, there are times I wonder, “What are we doing? Are we even helping?” and, “What if nothing works?”Read More
Recognizing Depression and Anxiety in Kids
As a parent or caregiver, you anticipate and meet your child’s physical needs, such as hunger or tiredness, and are attuned to their mental and emotional needs. You can guess when your child feels sad, angry, anxious, or depressed. You can help identify why they are feeling this way. But how do you know when your child’s feelings won’t pass, and what meaningful actions can you take to help?Read More
The Nurturer vs. the Buddy
The struggle I see most in this caregiver/youth relationship is the desire to become the “Buddy.” The Nurturer helps with the behaviors that arise along the way so they can continue moving forward with the day or task at hand. However, the Nurturer can very easily slide into the Buddy role. When a youth enters any sort of residential facility or new foster care setting, they often don’t know how to create or maintain healthy attachments to the adults around them. It is our job as professionals and caregivers to model what a safe adult relationship looks like.Read More
Reminder: Healing Isn't Linear
We fill up with sunshine when we see victory in our children’s lives, and the moment we start to let our shoulders drop in relaxation, another storm comes seemingly out of nowhere. But that does not mean healing isn’t happening. It means that it is layered and multifaceted and complex. It means that trauma goes deep, and so must healing.Read More
Reframing Substance Use Disorder
With the passing of May as Mental Health Awareness Month, it is the perfect time to appreciate the tremendous gains we’ve made in understanding, accepting, and managing mental health issues. No longer viewed as character flaws or weaknesses, mental illness has steadily moved from the shadows of shame and doubt into a routine practice of chronic illness management. In keeping with this theme, we must recognize a lingering hurdle in the quest for effective mental health services. Substance use disorder (SUD), often referred to as “addiction,” remains poorly understood, harshly judged, and seriously undertreated.Read More