Focus on the Smile: Introducing the Science of Happiness

on October 5, 2016 at 8:12 PM /

I was sorting my mail a few days ago and found myself worrying about the upcoming bills I’ll more than likely be struggling with. Of course, this made me feel stressed about the fact that I still haven’t made the jump to a better job. This, in turn, made me feel upset about the fact that I don’t know if my future is heading in the right direction. So, while I sorted through that pile of mail, I slowly began to realize something: I’m constantly focused on the things that are “wrong” in my life. Would I be better off...

Learning the Meaning of “Cognitive Processing Disorder”

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on September 30, 2016 at 8:00 AM /

Betsy is a sweet 3rd grader who wears her long hair in two braids and loves to run errands for her teacher. She has many friends in her class and loves everything about dogs and cats. In class, despite wanting to do well. Betsy often has difficulty following directions and seems to forget instructions almost as soon as they are explained. When the teacher meets with students in small groups, Betsy seems easily distracted and needs frequent redirection to stay on task. She often requires more time than other students to both start and complete her work. Her parents and...

Boosting the Self-Esteem of a Sensitive Child

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on September 21, 2016 at 8:35 PM /

Ryan is the sweetest kid. He’ll literally go out of his way to please his friends, family and teachers. You can ask him to do anything for you and he’ll put all of his effort into it simply because he wants to help. Unfortunately, I think this might be having a bit of an impact on his self-esteem. If his soccer coach benches him, even if it’s only because other kids need to play, Ryan will take it very hard. He’ll instantly think it’s because of his ability as a player, and his confidence will immediately drop. You can try...

Handling the Top Challenges of a Parent in 4 Effective Ways

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on September 14, 2016 at 9:16 PM /

Life as a parent can be extremely rewarding and filled with some of the most memorable occasions you’ll ever experience. You’ll watch your little ones grow, hear their first words and steer them in the right direction as they make their way through life. However, things aren’t always so peachy. As a parent, you’re expected to care for your child, help develop their skills and encourage appropriate behaviors, all while dealing with some of the most common and troublesome behaviors in childhood. At Rice Psychology Group, we understand things can often be difficult, which is why our psychologists want to help...

The Importance of Being Mindful

By Rice Psychology Group

on September 7, 2016 at 10:22 PM /

By Amanda Schwait, Ph.D. You’ve probably seen the word “mindfulness” around a lot in the last five years. And while the word is thrown around in popular culture, I find that, oftentimes, people don’t always know exactly what it means. Jon Kabat-Zinn, one of the leading researchers and proponents of mindfulness in the United States, defines the term as “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment.” Mindfulness is a break from our constantly divided and analytical mind. It gives us a few moments to pay attention...

Understanding Motivation as a Driving Force

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on September 7, 2016 at 10:15 PM /

My dream has always been to start my own restaurant, but it always remains that: a dream. My parents say I haven’t yet achieved it because of my lack of motivation, but I honestly don’t know how to deal with that. Even when I do feel extremely hyped about finally opening the doors to a restaurant, I end up losing focus and end up back at square one. There have honestly been times when I have everything I need to kick my dream into gear and, for no reason whatsoever, I end up achieving nothing. Is motivation really what I’ve...

The Learning Curve: Fatherhood in Today’s Age – Part 2

By Rice Psychology Group

on August 31, 2016 at 10:38 PM /

In the first part of my fatherhood blog, I shared some of the experiences I had when I was presented with the gift of fatherhood. It wasn’t always easy, but by identifying my personal strengths and engaging my challenges, I was able to prioritize my role in my family’s system. If parenthood is in your horizon, it’s important to consider the transformation of the modern-age father. I’ll help you understand it with the following pieces of valuable information....

No Offense: 6 Steps to Take When You Upset Someone

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on August 31, 2016 at 10:21 PM /

That has to be one of the most awkward situations I’ve ever experienced. To be completely honest, I didn’t mean to offend him. In fact, all I was trying to do was commend and congratulate him on his weight loss. I guess I took it a bit too far when I made a comment about him not reaching his target weight yet. Now that I think about it, the comment was actually pretty inconsiderate and rude. I want to make things right but seriously have no idea how to go about doing it. If there’s one thing a majority of us...

Rice Psychology Group Presents an Encore Screening of Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age, Hosted by AHN

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on August 29, 2016 at 8:00 AM /

.screenAgersAd {display:none !important;} Dr. Wendy Rice of Rice Psychology Group will be leading a thought-provoking and informative discussion following a presentation of Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age. The film will address an issue countless teenagers undoubtedly face each day – their struggle over social media, video games and Internet addictions. The film will help teens to comfortably navigate the digital world while providing the resources needed to help them do it. The screening will be held on Tuesday, September 20th at 6:30 PM at the Academy of the Holy Names in Tampa, FL. Middle and high school students and their parents...

The Learning Curve: Fatherhood in Today’s Age – Part 1

By Rice Psychology Group

on August 24, 2016 at 9:12 PM /

“Oh, parenthood is amazing,” they told me. “I can now see how empty my life was before she was born,” was a fairly common refrain. And I looked at them sideways trying to figure out how their experience was so different than mine...