It’s January. The glitter and excitement of the holidays are over, and the days are still short and cold. Parents, it won’t be long before you start hearing those six words that fill you with dread: “I’m bored! There’s nothing to do!” Okay, time to be honest. When you hear “nothing to do”, is your … Continue reading Using Validation to Fight Seasonal Depression in Children
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Imagine Helping Your Seasonal Depression With Something You Already Have
For some, seasonal depression strikes around the same time every year. For many others, that season seems to last all year… especially when the last two years have been chaotic as heck. If you have felt like you are checked out, losing interest, pulling away, and lacking energy, you might be experiencing seasonal or other … Continue reading Imagine Helping Your Seasonal Depression With Something You Already Have
New Year’s Resolutions: Helpful or Hurtful?
How do you feel about New Year's resolutions? For some, the New Year feels like a light at the end of the tunnel. A fresh start. Some people impacted by seasonal depression find this time of year a little more hopeful. New Year’s resolutions feel like the thing that might pull you out of a … Continue reading New Year’s Resolutions: Helpful or Hurtful?
When Someone You Love has BPD
Recent research has shown that nearly 1.6% of the American population, or over 4 million people, have been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Sadly, BPD stands as one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized mental health disorders, even among mental health providers. As we continue to raise awareness about BPD, today we focus on … Continue reading When Someone You Love has BPD
Borderline Personality Disorder and Stigma
When you google "borderline personality disorder" (BPD), you find no shortage of information. Some of this information is credible and explains symptoms. However, others lead to articles about abusive partners and parents, with lengthy narratives about how others have been mistreated by people with BPD, their behavior characterized as that of a typical person diagnosed … Continue reading Borderline Personality Disorder and Stigma
BPD: STOP intense distress mindfully
Use STOP (Stop, Take a breath, Observe what’s happening, Proceed mindfully of actions and goals) to help with BPD distress. All of us experience distressing emotions and could use some help to handle them. Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) tend to have more difficulty regulating their emotions. Common intense distress instances, especially if you … Continue reading BPD: STOP intense distress mindfully
“Planning”: Adult ADHD’s Dirty Word?
Whether or not someone is diagnosed with ADHD, this type of neurodivergence seems to be prohibitive to the idea of planning one’s day. Many clients with ADHD have complained about feeling overwhelmed around the pressure to “get things done.” Some exhibit real anxiety when they describe rising each morning to a “blank slate,” while others … Continue reading “Planning”: Adult ADHD’s Dirty Word?
The Biggest Barrier to Your Child’s Mental Health?
According to a report by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, somewhere between 14%-20% of young people a year experience some sort of mental, emotional, or behavior disorder a year. The report goes on to highlight the importance of early detection and intervention in order to minimize the impact of the disorders. Mental … Continue reading The Biggest Barrier to Your Child’s Mental Health?
The Stigma Around OCD
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a well-known mental health disorder, but not well understood. How many times have you heard a friend say “I’m so OCD, I have to keep my kitchen spotless! Or “I’m so OCD I color code my t-shirts!” We as a society have adopted the word “OCD” as a synonym for … Continue reading The Stigma Around OCD
Trauma Assessment in Therapy
In my therapy office in Kansas City, “trauma” can refer to an event, resulting stress, and/or long-term effects a person experiences. Assessing trauma involves asking questions about exposures to life-threatening events and their aftermath. ASSESSING TRAUMATIC EVENTS Traumatic experiences cause our brains to react emotionally and physiologically as if we are facing life-threatening danger. Our brains … Continue reading Trauma Assessment in Therapy
