Do Today’s Children Need a Media Diet?

on September 25, 2014 at 12:21 PM /

By Wendy Rice, Psy.D. Licensed Psychologist How much is too much? According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, today's children spend more than 7.5 hours a day with media. That's more than many of them spend in school and it leads me to wonder...

Why Parents Can’t Be Dumb About Social Media

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on September 10, 2014 at 2:13 PM /

By Wendy Rice, Psy.D. Licensed Psychologist Today many in the Tampa Bay area will be remembering Rebecca Sedwick through vigils, classroom and home discussions, and of course, news reports on teens and bullying. One year ago today, Rebecca committed suicide after reportedly being bullied both on and offline for more than a year. These stories seem to be far too common these days and I am often asked how parents can help prevent bullying, especially online. Walking the fine line of respecting your child’s online privacy while looking out for their well-being is a challenge that our parents didn’t exactly have. I always use...

The World is a Scary Place

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on August 26, 2014 at 4:41 PM /

By Wendy Rice, Psy.D. Licensed Psychologist How would you feel about flying to Africa with the uncontained Ebola virus spreading throughout the continent? Or, how would you feel about flying internationally on the heels of the one plane completely disappearing mid-flight and another one being shot down? I can tell you that these are both questions I have pondered extensively over the past few weeks because I am about to fly to Johannesburg before heading out on a 9-day safari in Botswana and then a few days in Victoria Falls. I have been thinking about the risks of going to a country...

How Your Guidance Counselor and Psychologist Can Work Together

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on August 12, 2014 at 7:13 PM /

By Wendy Rice, Psy.D. Licensed Psychologist When I was in high school, I struggled more than a bit with self-esteem and self-confidence. Getting homework done required an inordinate amount of effort and I rarely felt satisfied with the final product. My grades were fine but I generally had a nagging feeling that I didn’t really understand things as well as my classmates and I was convinced that I wasn’t smart. If you have read my chapter in Succeeding Against All Odds (free give away on my website homepage), you probably already know why. My school guidance counselor, Mrs. Rosner, was the first...

Dealing with Depression

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on August 12, 2014 at 10:00 AM /

Dr. Wendy Rice of Rice Psychology in Tampa was interviewed on Florida Live with Dan Maduri from NewsTalk Florida about depression following the death of Robin Williams. Click Play below to listen to the interview. Dr. Wendy Rice of Rice Psychology in Tampa was interviewed on The Miguel Show with Holly & Mandy about depression following the death of Robin Williams. Click Play below to listen to the interview. ...

Turning Anxiety into Coping

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on July 8, 2014 at 12:23 PM /

We all have worries – right? Regardless of our age, everyone has had a worry from time to time. A 10 year old girl named Sarah* worried daily about whether another child in her classroom would get sick and make her sick. An 8 year old boy named Rich* worried that his mom might get into a car accident after dropping him off at school. A teenager named Jessica* worried that people judged her all day long at school so she was afraid to speak much to anyone. Some common worries involve health and safety of ourselves or loved ones, job...

How to Teach Your Child Independence

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on July 2, 2014 at 8:10 AM /

By Wendy Rice, Psy.D. Licensed Psychologist When I went to college, I kind of knew how to do laundry, check the oil in my car, and use my trusty hotpot to make soup. I wasn’t quite so skilled at balancing my checkbook or managing my time effectively and, I was at a complete loss when it came to figuring out a tip in a restaurant. Over the years, I have met with several parents who are getting ready to send their children to college and wonder whether they have adequately prepared them for living independently. As part of an evaluation, we sometimes look...

Helping Children in Split Households Cope with Separation

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on July 2, 2014 at 3:41 AM /

Dr. Wendy Rice was interviewed on The Miguel Show with Holly & Mandy about children in situations with split households and how to help them cope with separation. ...

When to Seek Marital Help

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on June 24, 2014 at 8:00 AM /

With the divorce rate at 3.6 per 1,000 population, according to this CDC report, a lot of couples are asking when is the best time to seek marital help? When is it necessary or when is it too late? The easy answer is that you don’t have to be on the edge of divorce to seek some counseling. When your level of unhappiness is pretty pervasive, and it has been going on for more days than not, and if you are just feeling angry or frustrated, you don’t have to wait for things to go south to talk to somebody. “But what...

Do you fight fair?

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on June 16, 2014 at 7:00 AM /

The occasional dispute can be healthy for a relationship, but do you fight with a sense of fairness? It is healthy to discuss. It is healthy to have disagreements. It is healthy to have opinions. But it is important to fight fair. There are some people who get ugly and abusive when they argue, and there are others who can discuss and argue and be productive. Below are some evaluation questions to consider the next time you have an argument with your significant other: Do you communicate well? A lot of arguments stem from one or both parties not effectively communicating. Are you voicing...