Childhood anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are common mental health challenges that affect many young minds. As parents, we play a pivotal role in supporting our children through these difficult emotions and helping them build resilience. SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is an evidence-based, parent-focused treatment that helps caregivers with the tools to…
What is PCIT?Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a positive, direct, and intensive therapy that helps both parents and children work on their parent-child relationship. What are the stages in PCIT?There are a few stages to Parent-Child Interaction Therapy. The first stage is to gather information about the client’s behaviors and the parent-child relationship. This is…
By Shannan Blum, LMFT, CCATP-CA Guilt and Shame can be confusing to many, and yet they influence our mental states and mental health. Understanding the difference between the two can be helpful in changing how we speak to ourselves in our own head (our self-talk). If we are parents, it can also be influential in…
Have you ever wondered, “what is the right way to raise my children?” Or, “what is the best strategy for when my child has a tantrum?” “When should I ignore or when is it time to take action?” Without a doubt at some point we have all questioned our ability as parents. Being good…
Most parents want to be sure their child has cognitive intelligence that’s on par with whatever might be appropriate for their age group. But emotional intelligence can be just as important. Emotional intelligence in a child refers to how they express their emotions, and how aware they are of those emotions. It also refers to…
Your son is ignoring you while your daughter is angry. What do you do? In a typical family, this would not be an easy question. However, you and your partner are part of a blended family. One, in which, both of you bring together children from previous relationships into a new family. This can be an exciting and…
Motherhood is not for the faint of heart. Expectations are heaped upon mothers in countless ways. Myths disguised as truth are everywhere. They might tell us that if we don’t discipline our child the right way, feed them a certain way, or follow the right parenting philosophy, we are failing our children. Those are just…
Teenagers have plenty to learn about life and many challenges to navigate along the way. Of course, there’s school and deciding what to do after graduation. And nearly every teen looks forward to an exclusive right of passage, or otherwise known as getting a driver’s license. However, during these years, your teen is learning how…
As adults, we might not think much about “playing,” or its importance. For a child, however, playing is a natural form of communication, learning, and growing. While your child can get a lot out of playing on their own or with friends, family play time is just as important for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately,…