Interested in counseling? You should make sure your therapist is willing to get your feedback.

One of the things I do as an LCSW is incorporate my clients' feedback into session. At the start of each session, I have my client tell me how their week was, how stuff has been with family and friends, how work/school has been, and an overall score for the week on a 1 to 10 scale. I want to make sure that things are staying the same or improving for my clients week to week, because that's how we can track if I'm an effective fit for them. This is called an "Outcome Rating Scale."

Step 2: Let your therapist know how THEY'RE doing. Even if that's uncomfortable...

A lot of my clients with anxiety experience panic attacks - and it's crucial to be proactive. You need a plan before the attack occurs.

What should you do? Make sure you know the signs of panic attacks. And if this isn't your first attack, you have a pretty good idea of how your body has responded to this severe anxiety before. Then...

Teens, pre-teens, even elementary school students are very aware of their bodies and appearances.

For some, they can become overly-aware of their body, and worry about being thin enough, even at a young age. This can stem for a multitude of concerns: bullying at school, well-meaning comments by relatives, or even commercials - but the impact can be huge. So what can parents do? 

Anxious or bratty kids?

Back in September, I contributed to an article entitled "Is Your Child Anxious Or Just Bratty? Experts Explain How to Tell," found on Romper, exploring the differences underpinning these two behaviors. What contributes to your child's anxiety vs. what contributes to them acting "bratty?" 

Everyone experiences anxiety sometimes. It's a normal, healthy response to stressors.

If you are able to function well, participate in activities, and live your life without anxiety getting in the way, you are living with a "normal" level of anxiety. Of course, clinicians and therapists may be more aware of the small signs of anxiety because we're trained to recognize early cues. And even if anxiety isn't getting in the way of your life or your functioning, but it still feels present more days than not, you should consider reaching out to a counselor or therapist about anxiety management strategies.

Does your teen have a hard time saying "thank you?" Do you ever wonder if your child appreciates anything that you do? Curious to hear more about building gratitude skills? Well, you've come to the right place! With Thanksgiving right around the corner, this week's blog is focused on helping your child or teen build up their own gratitude skills.

You don't want your teenager home and in their room every night, but you also want to be sure that they're still checking in with you and getting your support when needed. You don't want to chauffeur your teen to every meeting, friend hangout, or movie, and at the same time you want to be sure they're not out late every night or missing out on homework.

So how do you find this balance? Focus on the skills building.

Everyone has a limit.

We can handle the anxiety, the frustration, the stress that comes up in our everyday life, until we just can't handle it anymore. We reach our tipping point. Our calm and collected bodies and brains give way to big outbursts, yelling, screaming, maybe even cursing out our friends or parents. We're no longer able to tolerate what's going on. We've passed the threshold of our "Window of Tolerance." So the question becomes: What can you handle?

As a therapist, I coach a lot of parents on how to take the positive perspective on their child. Your kid called their teacher a b****? Well at least we know she can express herself! Your four year old had a melt down at the store and then told you it was because they were sad? Good for them on recognizing that emotion! Positive praise is so crucial for increasing compliance in your children. You want to be able to take that outside perspective. But to increase rule following behaviors in young children, it is important to find effective consequences along with positive rewards...   

We can't always predict when there will be a change to our schedule, our plans, or our life. But it's important to recognize that pre-schoolers may have a particularly hard time with changes both expected and unexpected. Read below for a few tips on how to set your preschooler up for success. 

Bullying in schools is common, and you may even be asking your children about it a lot. But what if your child won't tell you that they're being bullied? I recently collaborated on a Romper article, 7 Subtle Ways Your Kid Is Trying to Tell You They're Being Bullied. I find with younger kids especially that it's difficult for them to tell their parents outright that they're being bullied. While a lot of kids in class might say, "so and so is bullying me" or "stop being a bully!" they are usually talking about kids being rude or annoying. For children who are truly being bullied, meaning repeated physical, verbal, or emotional attacks, it's often very uncomfortable for them to acknowledge what's going on.

Kids and teens with anxiety, anger, or avoidance don't always volunteer information about their day. They may provide you with a few vague pieces of information about how school went, concerns they had with friends, or problems at class - or, they might not. It's helpful to have tools to actually hear more about their day. In this week's blog, I share some of the prompts that I often use in session to get kids and teens to dig a little deeper than just telling me "I'm fine." Click below to read more...

Building routines for pre-school aged students is all about preparation. You want to ensure that your young child knows the plan, knows the expectations, and has ample time to ask clarifying questions (even if those questions are just variations on "why?"). Make sure to set a schedule that's easy for both you and your child, and consider getting a second opinion from a professional if it ever feels like your pre-schooler is more anxious, frustrated, or angry than the other kids at the morning drop off. 

What goes into building health family habits? Communication, scheduling, and taking time out to enjoy one another. As a parent, you may be wondering about ways that you as a family can work together to support your children. Below are a few healthy family habits that I recommend families incorporate - especially if they have a child or teen experiencing anxiety, anger management issues, or other outside stressors.

Most parents feel a little disconnected from their teen. But that doesn't mean that your teenager should shut you out all the time, or that you shouldn't continue to make an effort to engage with them. There is a balance between giving them space to develop into the independent adults they'll become, and supporting their growth and development with regular check ins. In this week's post I include a few tips for increasing the connection and communication between you and your teenager.

Anger and anxiety go hand-in-hand. For a child who experiences anxiety, their poor test grade may lead to a huge angry outburst. Or missing the goal at soccer practice may lead to them storming off the field. Their anxiety overruns their pre-frontal cortex, making it impossible for them to stop and think about their actions, and choose something different.

We've come to the end of our 6 week series, so now is a great time for reflection. What was your purpose in picking up this mindfulness practice? Was it to practice anxiety management through meditation? Were you looking for tools to help your child with their anger? Figure out what the root of this was. And, while we can't change people around us - and we can't change what our children do or don't do - we can demonstrate healthy listening and coping skills for them.

Our minds are always churning out lots of thoughts. So it can be helpful, during a meditation practice, to table these thoughts for later. In this week's post, I discuss a visualization tool: thought bubbles. When you allow your thoughts to drift away, you can focus more on your stillness, calming your brain and your body. A critical tool for kids, teens, and parents!