School Do's and Dont's: ...or, how to be a concerned parent and be heard

As a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice I often work with parents who express frustration with their child's school experience. The parents know things aren't going well, they want their child to succeed in school, and they can feel unheard by the teacher or school administrators.  

There are many things I can do as a counselor: family therapy, individual therapy with the child, teach parenting skills, refer for testing for learning disabilities, etc. One thing I often do is help parents navigate their way through the school system by acting as an advocate and by teaching conflict-resolution and negotiation skills. ( read more)

Back-to-School for Single Dads

I see many newly divorced or separated fathers in my office who are good dads. They have been involved in their child's life attending parent-teacher conferences and all of the holiday parties at the grade school. They went because their wife had informed them of the school schedule and they made it a priority to show up. 

And then they stop. Not because they are suddenly bad fathers or they stopped caring about their children but because they lost their in-home secretary. ( continue reading)

Cell Phones and Teenagers

Increasingly cell phones are mentioned as part of the complaints that bring families to therapy. Cell phones are abused by adults as well as children. The focus of this article will concentrate on the complaints involving children and teens.  

The high profile complaints involve parents who have discovered that their children have misused cell phones to transmit sexually oriented material including pictures. According to several surveys, as many as one in five teens indicate they have sent sexually explicit messages. Girls are almost twice as likely as boys to send "sexting" messages. ( read more)

Is Your Child Shy?

Most shy children grow up to be socially functional adults who are able to speak up in meetings or give presentations, but during their formative years, these activities may be quite painful for shy kids.  

It is important to distinguish what we mean when we talk about shyness. It is probably a commonplace distinction for most of us to be able to label our friends, co-workers, and children as either exuberant and outgoing or shy and reserved, but what might be going on inside the mind and body-state of the shy individual?( read more)

ADHD and Mental Health as it Relates to Your Child's Education

Parents, teachers, and school administrators work collaboratively to provide the best educational opportunities and accommodations for children/adolescents in the classroom. Many parents are not aware that school systems are not able to adequately diagnose ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) or mental health disorders that impact students' ability to perform to their best academically and behaviorally. 

Where should parents turn to seek out appropriate diagnosis, treatment, and assistance in navigating the educational system to provide the best opportunities for their children?( read more)

Is My Child Depressed?

It is difficult to know how many children (pre-teens) suffer from depression. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) estimates that, at any given time, 11% of children under the age of 18 meet the diagnostic criteria for Depression. We know that girls are more likely than boys to suffer from depression and that the risk increases as the child becomes older. But these numbers include teenagers; it is hard to find statistics for children from pre-K through age 12. 

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) the symptoms of a Major Depressive Episode include:( read more)

ADHD Smptom Checklist

Look here for a list of behaviors that may indicate your child mgiht have ADHD.( read more)

Additional Resources