Have you ever asked yourself how suicide affects our youth? September is National Suicide Prevention Month and today is World Suicide Prevention Day so I want to take a moment and share how suicide affects our youth in our current culture today. First and foremost, if you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the Suicide… Read More
How To Support Your Child’s Mental Health
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, recently issued a proclamation declaring that the first week of May is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week from May 1-May 7. And fun fact, May 7th is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, which also happens to be my birthday! That’s why I was thrilled… Read More
How To Know When To Take Your Child To Therapy and When To See a Play Therapist
As a licensed child mental health therapist who has been in practice for over a decade and a professor who has been teaching Play Therapy and Parent Child Therapy at the university level for over 8 years, parents have asked me many questions over the years about when to send their child to therapy and what kind of therapy they… Read More
Suicide Prevention and Awareness
September is National Suicide Prevention Month and I would like to offer my therapeutic expertise and help educate you on the risk factors, warning signs and symptoms, and possible solutions and preventative measures of suicide. Staggering Suicide Statistics Someone in the US commits suicide every 11 minutes 132 Americans die each day because of suicide. And we lose… Read More
Everything You Need to Know About Seasonal Affective Disorder
I personally need sunshine to thrive. A sunny day gives me energy, motivation, and puts me in an overall positive mood. When it’s a gloomy or rainy day, I tend to have much less productivity and lack of energy. And after prolonged periods of gloominess, especially in the winter months, my overall mood can suffer. It’s common to feel this… Read More
Childhood and Adolescent Depression: Signs, Symptoms, and Solutions
Childhood depression has always existed and has been a prominent diagnosis among children as young as toddlerhood all the way to adolescents. But since the pandemic began and children have been forced to be socially isolated with limited escape mechanisms and coping skills they may have depended on in the past, I have personally and professionally seen depressive symptoms worsen… Read More
Parenting During a Pandemic: 5 Secrets to Help you Cope
Parenting is a difficult journey during normal circumstances and now parenting during a pandemic has forced us into an entirely new venture on how to cope and survive in the most stressful of times. To say the last six months have been stressful is an understatement. In fact, I believe stress has been at an all time maximum since the pandemic began… Read More
How to Talk to Children and Adolescents About Big Emotions & Loss of Rituals
It’s Memorial Day weekend, a time to remember and honor fallen men and women who have protected our country and a weekend that typically signifies the end of the school year and the kick off to summer. It’s also a weekend that many people around the country traditionally celebrate by having pool parties, neighborhood barbecues, beach bonfires, and family gatherings. Often times there are… Read More
Top 15 Therapeutic Play Based Ways To Talk to Children About Emotions
With Coronavirus very rampant in our world, this year has stirred a lot of different emotions for children (and adults) of all ages. We have been living in a world of uncertainty and social isolation and many of us are confused, scared, and worried about how to navigate the flood of emotions with our children. That’s why I am… Read More
Let’s Talk About: My Breast Cancer Diagnosis + The Stages of Grief
As you may know, I have been struggling lately with some grief since getting the news that the breast cancer I was diagnosed with 7 years ago might be back. Individuals struggle with grief for many different reasons in a variety of ways, but typically in a systematic pattern, and so I thought I would take this opportunity to not… Read More