Dr. Wendy Rice Archives | Rice Psychology

Depression: Know That There is a Way Out

on December 12, 2019 at 4:34 pm /

In the spirit of leading Rice Psychology Group from an authentic place and not shying away from vulnerability and imperfection (thank you for giving words to this, Brené Brown), I’d like to share a few short snippets from the journals I kept in high school. Fortunately, I’ve come a long way since then! I do worry about what you might think when reading this, but I hope it provides some evidence that I really do understand suffering. Please be warned that some of these entries contain obscenities and may be difficult to read. June – 10th grade: “The pressure is so overwhelming....

A Millennial Approach: Helping Young Clients Remember Their Therapy Sessions

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on November 22, 2019 at 1:29 pm /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. I have a ton of things on my mind each day. Even when I’m in bed, my head is spinning with reminders, ideas, and random thoughts! I’ve gotten so busy that I’m starting to forget what my weekly therapy appointments were about, especially those focused on the previous week. When my therapist and I chat, I tend to have trouble focusing since my responsibilities or something interesting I saw online always pops back into my head and I’m constantly wanting my phone to either help me take care of them...

No One Chooses to Experience Depression and Anxiety

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on November 15, 2019 at 12:56 pm /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. About three months ago, I was diagnosed with depression after moving to a new city to start a career. It’s been rough not having family and friends in this different environment. A few days ago, I spoke about it with some of my coworkers and one of them responded with, “Oh, it can’t be that bad. Just try to be happy!” Hearing that upset me because my depression isn’t controlled with an On/Off switch. I try my best to put on a happy face, but sometimes it’s just impossible. I...

Thanksgiving Stress: What You Can do to Avoid Tension with Your Family

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on November 7, 2019 at 12:36 pm /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. Thanksgiving is one of the holidays I most dread. Every year it’s the same thing with my family. “So, when are you going to have another child?” or “You’re 30 and still at that entry-level job. I thought you were going to go to law school.” I love my family, but I always find myself getting annoyed or angry by their nosiness. Every holiday, it feels like the feast ends in an argument, whether it’s over relationships, money, or everyone’s favorite topic: politics. Is there anything my family and I...

Parental Awareness: Discussing Mental Health, Its Effects, and Understanding it with Your Child

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on November 1, 2019 at 12:17 pm /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. My son, Matthew, came to me today and said that a classmate of his had been pulled from school after being diagnosed with what I later found out was a severe episode of depression. My wife and I sat down with him to explain what the disorder was. Matt is only nine but has a good head on his shoulders. He listened to what we had to say and asked some pretty good questions. I never really imagined that we’d have to talk to him about mental health at such...

Taking the Best Steps Towards Making Your Stepfamily into a Happy Family

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on August 9, 2019 at 12:31 pm /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. I recently married a man with a wonderful family of his own. I have a 9-year old son from my first marriage, and he has 14-year old twin daughters. The one thing that concerned us both was how our children were going to adapt to living in the same home. Much to our relief, our kids hit it off. My stepdaughters have already warmed up to my son and love him like a biological brother. With me, though, it’s a different story. They’re both still distant and rarely make conversation...

Lying to Your Therapist: Working Through It

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on June 6, 2019 at 3:38 pm /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. It’s been just over two months since I started seeing my therapist and I think things could be a little better, mostly due to my behavior. My therapist asks questions, leads me along with conversation, and is extremely helpful throughout our sessions. However, I haven’t been completely honest with her. I keep some details to myself, avoid expanding on certain topics, and even lie at times. I’ve done it for different reasons, but it definitely can’t be helpful. Right? Therapy has long been thought of as something helpful for improving our...

Doing it Now: Your Child, Procrastination, and How to Manage it

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on May 6, 2019 at 4:16 pm /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. Over the past year, my husband and I have noticed that our kids are procrastinating more and more. They usually do their homework late in the evening, wait until the weekend to clean their rooms (even though they’re supposed to do it every Wednesday), and sometimes miss the bus because they’re taking too long picking out school clothes for the day. Neither of us know how to get our kids out of the procrastinating mindset. It seems like they’d much rather play video games or mess with their phones all...

Being Bored: Why it’s a Good Thing for Your Kids

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on April 11, 2019 at 5:52 pm /

Dr. Wendy Rice

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. Last Tuesday, my husband and I took our two boys to the doctor’s office for their annual check-up. Now, they’re not undisciplined but they do get bored quite easily and, when that happens, they can both become a handful. In fact, no matter what my husband and I did, the boys just weren’t having it. They kept jumping, running, yelling, and generally throwing a fit. You can imagine how embarrassed and hopeless we both felt as we tried to relax them. I don’t remember ever acting like that when I...

The New Form of “Smoking”: Record Numbers of Teens Follow the Vape Trend

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on April 5, 2019 at 2:47 pm /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. Sebastian will soon be in high school and my wife Roxie and I are both a bit nervous about many of the new, and not necessarily healthy, things he’ll be exposed to. One of these is smoking: cigarettes, joints, etc. Roxie is extremely concerned about this and I don’t blame her. However, some of the methods she’s considering to prevent Sebastian from smoking seem a bit odd to me. For example, she mentioned letting him “vape.” According to her, e-cigarettes (e as in electronic) are safer than traditional cigarettes and...