“How Do I Get My Kids to Behave?”
As a family therapist, I’ve been asked some version of this question many times throughout the years. Sometimes it’s framed as a request for tools, strategies, “tips and tricks,” or general methods for …
Talking with Kids about the Protests
One of my primary parenting goals is to raise conscious humans. I teach my kids about cultural competence and to stand up for what’s right. We talk as a family about race, gender, …
Project Lemonade: Part Two—What We Make
I’ve been trying to get a bird’s-eye view of the last three months. With so much to process, it can be disorienting. Closer to the ground, the earth is shaking and shifting beneath …
Project Lemonade: Part One—What Life Gives
I woke up this morning feeling the weight of the knowledge that quarantine directives are being modified and extended through the summer. Many of us are asking ourselves, how will we get through this …
Managing Stress in Close Quarters: Part Two
We’re in the ninth week of sheltering in place. As family members continue to work and learn at home together, trying to meet individual and family needs while navigating a range of emotions, …
Managing Stress in Close Quarters: Part One
We’re in the eighth week of sheltering in place. Families are appreciating more time together, and they’re also experiencing increasing tension, frustration, and irritability. In this time of crisis, loss, and uncertainty, we …
Supporting Teens and Tweens through the Pandemic
Many teens and tweens are rightly worried about the economic, social, and health-related dangers associated with the novel coronavirus. For some, the impacts are clear and concrete: someone they know has contracted COVID-19 …
Part Four in the Resilience-Building Series: Grounding
What is Grounding? Grounding, centering, calming, soothing. These words are often used interchangeably. Grounding, though, is about noticing how your body connects to and is supported by the ground beneath it. When I …
Part Three in the Resilience-Building Series: Resourcing
What is a Resource and Why is It Important? Last week, I shared the idea of using sensory tools to bring balance back to the nervous system. This week, I’m going to share …
Part Two in the Resilience-Building Series: Sensory Tools
What are Sensory Tools and Why are they Helpful? Sensory tools refer to using your five senses to regulate, or bring balance to, the nervous system. Regulating the nervous system is also referred …