Too Social: How Generation X’s Obsession with Social Media Can Cause Problems at Home and Work

on February 22, 2017 at 10:21 PM /

I’ve never been one to obsess over social media. A couple of years ago, I created a Facebook account to connect and keep in touch with long-distance family members and old friends from school. Over time, I noticed that the more time I spent on there, the more I wanted to reach out to people I hadn’t spoken to in years and share news and recipes I found interesting. It was nothing too extreme, though. Then during last Thanksgiving, my oldest son’s girlfriend told me about how much more she preferred Twitter to Facebook, so I decided to give it...

Our Canine Office Companions: Get to Know Milo, Abbey and Gigi!

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on February 15, 2017 at 9:51 PM /

Meet the therapy dogs of Rice Psychology Group! These amazing friends come to work with Dr. Rice, Dr. Schwait and Dr. DeGeso-Jones and contribute so much to the practice. Each with their own personality, they participate in therapy when needed and otherwise do an amazing job of brightening our days with their presence in the office. With child and adolescent clients, our therapy dogs can help ease pain and fear, help with self-control and following directions, get involved in aspects of play therapy and, most importantly, offer acceptance and unconditional love. And, not surprisingly, they are equally helpful with adults...

5 Tips to Help Keep Your Relationship Strong

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on February 8, 2017 at 9:27 PM /

I love my husband and we’ve been married for eight years now. Our lives together before our kids were born were full of adventure and fun. Like most married couples with no kids, we could always go out whenever we wanted. For example, in the past, we’d been known to get up and go to Denny’s at 3 AM because we were both awake and hungry! All of that changed, however, when we had Hallie four years ago. We both love her to pieces, but let’s face it, life as we once knew it has changed. We barely have time...

Feeling Blue: 3 Steps You Can Take to Improve Your Winter Mood

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on February 1, 2017 at 9:08 PM /

Living in Florida, I find that the winters aren’t nearly as bad as they were up north. When I lived in New York, it was tough to make it through the long winters. For many, it isn’t necessarily the cold weather or snow that is so bothersome, it’s the darkness of the days. Check out what one man has to say on the topic of winter blues. “It might sound weird, but in the summer and spring, I’m usually a cheerful person because it’s bright and lively out. In the winter, though, days are more apt to be cloudy and gray. The...

Overwhelmed: Overcoming Anxiety Brought on by Events in the World Around You

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on January 25, 2017 at 9:44 PM /

I like to consider myself a rational person who’s calm and in control of what goes on around me. Sometimes, though, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed by the news, current events and all of those CNN updates that seem to pop up on my phone throughout the day. Just last week, I was watching the evening news and the anchors were discussing yet another school shooting that happened on the other side of the country. It feels like they’re happening much more often! My first thought was, “What if that was my kids’ school?” I felt intense fear just...

An Overview of Executive Functioning and How Your Child Can Strengthen Theirs

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on January 19, 2017 at 2:52 PM /

The human brain is an amazing machine when it works well! My older son’s brain allows him to play high school baseball, stay on top of two AP classes, juggle daily homework, tests and projects from his other five classes, and even manage his few chores at home. My younger son, on the other hand, struggles with his regular-level classes in terms of both the actual learning and keeping track of his homework, remembering to hand it in (if he completes it), figuring out what he needs to study and making sure he has what he needs with him at...

A Month of Mentorship: Doing What You Can for Youth in January and Beyond

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on January 4, 2017 at 9:00 PM /

I decided to make a change in my New Year’s resolution for 2017. Most of my friends and family make similar resolutions, liking hitting the gym or saving more money, but I wanted to take it a step further by making a change that can help someone else. I was reading online the other day that January is “National Mentoring Month”. Although I like to think that my life is going pretty smoothly, I know that there are other people out there, many of them kids, who don’t have as good a life as I do. So I thought, “Maybe...

Being Prepped: A Few Tips for Students and Teachers to Get Through Their Second/Spring Semesters

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on December 28, 2016 at 9:08 PM /

I managed to get through my first fall term at college and feel so relieved. It was very different from what I was used to in high school and know that with the spring term, I’ll be dealing with new subjects and meeting a whole new set of people. It’s a bit overwhelming since, before college, I was used to having the same lessons and classmates year-round. I’m worried that a whole new set of courses, professors, classmates and expectations may overwhelm me – and I’m still reeling a bit from my initial adjustment to college. My mother is a...

Resolving to Change: How to Ensure a Successful New Year’s Resolution

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on December 21, 2016 at 10:00 PM /

I’ve been making New Year’s resolutions for almost 10 years now and have never managed to follow through in making any of them a reality. I try to keep them realistic, like losing a few pounds each month or saving a couple of hundred dollars here and there to purchase a new car. A few weeks into every new year, though, I end up giving up because I just can’t seem to find the willpower, time or strength to see my resolutions to the end. Is there anything I can do or keep in mind that can make my resolutions...

Keeping it Together: How to Go About Dealing with the Stress of Final Exams

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on December 13, 2016 at 3:53 PM /

I’m an absolute nervous wreck. I’m taking four classes this term and exams for each are coming up next week. I’ll admit, I’m a procrastinator. Not once throughout the term have I gone through my notes or studied. During regular testing, I always waited until the night before to go over the material. Luckily, I’ve passed all of my tests, but barely. The final exams are entirely different. I’ll have to go over ALL of the material we’ve gone through since August and I’m feeling extremely overwhelmed. I regret waiting until the last minute, and it’s my own fault if...