The teenage years can be filled with confusion, big emotions, and the struggle to understand oneself. Teens often find it difficult to navigate these overwhelming feelings and may not always open up to their parents. This can be frustrating and confusing for families. However, therapy can provide teens with the opportunity to explore their emotions... Continue Reading →
When we think of therapy, we often imagine quiet offices and serious conversations. But for children, especially those too young to express themselves fully in words, therapy often looks quite different. Play therapy researcher and author Garry Landreth explains, “In the play therapy experience, toys are like the child’s words, and play is the child’s... Continue Reading →
Have you heard your child talking to their dolls or imitating the wee-woo wee-woo of an ambulance rushing to the scene of an accident? How about running around the house in a cape or staging an epic battle between Barbie and an enormous stuffed t-rex? It may look like they’re just having fun or being... Continue Reading →
Parenting is one of the most important jobs in the world. Every parent hopes their child will grow up to be confident, independent, and successful, but the path to that outcome often feels uncertain. Over the years, psychologists have studied how different approaches to parenting affect children’s growth. The results show that how we parent... Continue Reading →
The teenage years are a crucial time of change and development. The family dynamic might change as the growing teens seek more autonomy and independence, and the parents try to maintain rules, protection and guidance. This combination creates tension and conflict between teens and parents. Learning how to diffuse conflict and maintain respect and connection... Continue Reading →
In his book The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt compares modern-day parenting to carpentry and parents to carpenters. He explains that, like a carpenter envisions the finished result of their project, parents have a clear idea of what they are trying to mold their kid into. Parents have character traits personalities in mind that they want... Continue Reading →
Over the course of this semester, and during my time interning for Olive Branch Counseling Associates, I have been reading the book The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt (2024). The book is about the obvious mental health crisis going on within our youth due to the presence of smartphones and social media. The author provides... Continue Reading →
In his book titled The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt (2024) proposed that different parenting styles and decisions cause children to grow up practicing habits in two different modes: defense mode and discover mode. Defense mode is self-explanatory in that it occurs when someone is trying to identify a threat and defend themselves from it. This... Continue Reading →
Parenting is a complex and challenging journey that often comes with its fair share of disagreements and conflicts. One common characteristic among parents is the belief that they are always right. While this attitude may seem frustrating or even irrational at times, it is essential to understand the underlying reasons behind this mindset. In... Continue Reading →
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