Making the Transition: A Closer Look at Transgender Teens, Their Parents, and the Challenges They Face

on June 19, 2019 at 12:00 PM /

Over the past several years, we’ve seen an increasing number of children and teens who believe that the gender they were assigned at birth is not their correct one. As a result, many go on to transition from female to male or vice versa. Truth be told, this has been a learning process for our therapists, alongside the families we treat. To help us become more knowledgeable about LGBTQ issues, we’ve pursued additional training and consultation with other professionals to best support parents and kids through this process. We know that acceptance by parents can be challenging, but it’s an extremely critical and...

Loneliness, its Effects, and Why You’re Seeing it Everywhere

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on June 14, 2019 at 12:16 PM /

In college, I didn’t spend much time with my friends. It’s not that I didn’t have any, I just preferred being alone and didn’t feel the need to make much of an effort to get close to people. At least, that’s what I always told myself. The weird thing is, now I find myself alone a lot. It’s no longer because I prefer it but it’s just the way things have turned out for me. I moved away from my hometown and I work from home, so I don’t have daily interaction with colleagues. Also, social media just doesn’t do...

The Whine Crime: Chronic Complaining and How to Stay More Positive

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on May 15, 2019 at 9:59 AM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. My best friend Emily came over last night to hang out for a bit. We usually have so much fun together and often laugh until it hurts, but it hasn’t been that way in weeks. It seems like every time we see each other, all I do is listen to her complain about every little thing in her life. The complaints range from her date not going as expected, to her commute to work being too long, and now she’s even griping about the type of shampoo she uses! I’m...

The Human-Animal Bond: How Owning a Pet Can Help Your Child’s Bond with Others

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on April 19, 2019 at 11:40 AM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. Our youngest son, Sean, has always been a bit of an introvert. He has a few friends at school but doesn’t really socialize anywhere else. My husband and I read online about how pets can help people come out of their shells and be more expressive. We took a chance and got Sean a dachshund for his ninth birthday. He instantly fell in love and now walks Hot Dog (his name choice, of course) almost every day. They both get so much attention at the dog park, and Sean loves...

JOMO – The Joy of Missing Out: How We Can Liberate Ourselves from Overstimulation Through Restraint and Moderation

By Rice Psychology Group

on January 10, 2019 at 5:49 PM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. Chloe considers herself a technologically-savvy person. She's old enough to remember always having a computer around, though she sometimes finds herself amazed by how quickly technology has advanced. Her use of social media grew as it became not just a place to share thoughts, but also a tool to coordinate events, share pictures, and create a full-fledged digital persona. For the most part, it made her feel like she was connected and informed in a fun and engaging way. Though recently, she's been thinking about the amount of time...

Quality Over Quantity: How Important is Family Time for You and Those You Love?

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on June 6, 2018 at 3:43 PM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s piece. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been spending almost 12 hours at the office trying to finalize our next big project. I’m expecting it to be this way for about two more months, but I really hope we get everything ready in a few weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but I haven’t had the chance to hang out with my family at all! Steve texted me yesterday to tell me that our son, Robbie, was stellar in his soccer game while I stayed in the office....

Gaming College Students: Is Your Child’s First Year at School Destined to Result in “Game Over”?

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on May 30, 2018 at 12:04 PM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. My sister Leslie spent Memorial Day weekend with us and brought something to my attention that’s now worrying me. She mentioned that Joseph, my son, spent most of the visit in his room at his computer playing video games. I really didn’t pay too much attention since he usually keeps to himself when we have guests, but it’s something that needs addressing. You see, she mentioned that her coworker’s son recently came back home halfway through his first year of college. The reason was he flunked out of classes due...

Self-Body Shaming – Taking a Look at This Very Serious Issue

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on May 24, 2018 at 10:07 AM /

I was with Angie at the thrift store yesterday looking for some fun t-shirts for an upcoming trip to the beach with my parents. I found some great stuff but couldn’t help but notice that Angie was acting differently. When I asked if she wanted to join us, she said no. I found that extremely odd since she loves hanging out with my parents and I, and I had to press her for minutes before she spilled the beans. She loves social media and constantly sees photos of other girls who are in better shape than she is. She’s come...

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...

It’s Just a Game: A Look at How Sports Affect Fan Behavior

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on October 19, 2016 at 2:31 PM /

My husband is a huge fan of baseball. Although he enjoys the game in general, the Tampa Bay Rays are by far his favorite team. He lives and breathes anything that has to do with them. He follows them on social media and never misses one of their games. This is fine with me, but sometimes I notice he gets extremely competitive and defensive when they aren’t doing well. Just the other day, he got into a heated discussion with his brother about the team not doing well this season. It got so bad that he started shouting. Whenever we...