I will be honest. Part of me loves structure because when someone else sets a standard for me to meet, I love showing off and striving for the goal. When I have to set structure for myself, I cringe a little. I am naturally scattered and a big picture person who gets more ideas than I could ever ... Read More about Creating Structure with Flexibility
Anxiety: The Often Unseen Struggle
This morning I got a disturbing call. A student I know had fled her English classroom. She was overwhelmed by the literature and discussion that was to follow. The subject: mental illness. Her distress was caused by her knowledge of her own diagnosis - panic disorder. Was she mentally ill? How ... Read More about Anxiety: The Often Unseen Struggle
Emotion Coaching for Parents from the Inside Out
I recently went with my family to see the movie Inside Out and it is a counselor's dream. The idea of seeing how the emotions and the islands work inside a human creates an opportunity for parents and their kids alike to join in a dialogue with common vocabulary. This new vocabulary is playing ... Read More about Emotion Coaching for Parents from the Inside Out
Even in the Midst of Grief, Kids Need to Have Some Fun
I have said it countless time to grieving moms in my office that children grieve differently than we do and don't need to just sit around the house doing nothing. Adults use the business of personal demands and work to distract themselves from continuous and intense emotion. The waves of grief are ... Read More about Even in the Midst of Grief, Kids Need to Have Some Fun
Sometimes It Seems You’re Surrounded by Suffering
I've been walking beside young widows and their children for the past 5 years. It started very slowly. A previous client called pleading, "You've got to see my friend. It's just too much and too sudden and you are the only one I trust." After a few months, she has a friend whose husband suddenly ... Read More about Sometimes It Seems You’re Surrounded by Suffering