Many parents have concerns from time to time about their child’s development. Often the first place they turn to is their family doctor. Sometimes, the response is something akin to “don’t worry, they’ll grow out of it”. Although this bit of conventional wisdom is often true, it is not always true. Parents are the number one experts when it comes to their children, and when your instincts are telling you […]
Daniel Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, PH.D wrote an excellent book, entitled, ‘The Whole-Brain Child’ which provides parents and caregivers with 12 innovative strategies to understand and nurture their children’s development. In this blog I will provide a brief overview of these concepts: We all have a right hemisphere and a left hemisphere to our brains (often called the right brain and the left brain) and each serves a different […]
Does your child need a Psychoeducational Assessment? Most kids struggle in school from time to time, whether it’s difficulty mastering fractions or learning to read. How do you know if your child’s difficulty is just a bump in the road or whether it is a sign of something more serious, like a Learning Disability or ADHD? An assessment may be needed if: Your child is falling significantly behind classmates She […]
Natural disasters, such as the tornadoes we have just experienced in the Ottawa area, come as a shock and surprise to everyone! As we deal with the aftermath of these events, here are some things to keep in mind regarding children and youth. 1) Children and youth can be impacted by the news of the event. They can feel worried or scared that something will happen again. This often happens because […]
With summer vacation drawing to a close and school supplies filling the stores, families are beginning to anticipate the return to school. Many children may feel excitement, some nervousness, and an eagerness to see their friends and start a new grade. Many others may approach this transition with a sense of anxiety – feeling overwhelmed, worried, apprehensive, fearful, tense, or concerned about the new year. For children struggling with anxiety, […]
As school begins to come to an end, kids look forward to the summer – a time when there is ample opportunity to play and have fun. Play is an essential element of a healthy childhood and its presence is so valuable, it’s recognized as a universal right for children by the United Nations. This is in part because, despite what may initially meet the eye, play serves many important […]
When a parent finds out that their loved one is abusing substances, they are often flooded with feelings of helplessness, overwhelm, fear, embarrassment and anger. Parents usually feel unprepared to navigate the challenges of helping an adolescent who is abusing substances. Often, there is little support within communities and families to openly discuss the challenges with substance abuse, which leads to isolation and feelings of powerlessness. These feelings are normal […]
“We are never so vulnerable as when we love.” — Sigmund Freud There is something missing. You’re not quite sure what it is but you can tell that it’s not there. Perhaps you noticed after struggling through Valentine’s Day celebrations that it’s never really been there. Or maybe you once had it with your partner, but now it feels off somewhere far away…. in a time when you had more […]
We have all made them..those promises to ourselves that we will make a difference in our lives starting in the New Year! We make them with the best of intentions and often, well maybe sometimes, see some success with those promises for the first week or two in January. But..then something happens…seemingly without intent or effort on your part…you return to old patterns…sometimes slowly and sometimes with one big “I […]
Does your child need a Psychoeducational Assessment? Most kids struggle in school from time to time, whether it’s difficulty mastering fractions or learning to read. How do you know if your child’s difficulty is just a bump in the road or whether it is a sign of something more serious, like a Learning Disability or ADHD? An assessment may be needed if: Your child is falling significantly behind classmates She […]
