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

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...

Family Therapy: How a Joint Session with Your Loved Ones Can Work Wonders

By Andy Coble, LMHC

on October 24, 2019 at 11:37 AM /

Consider the following example as it relates to this week’s topic. The other day, one of my daughters came into the kitchen and said, “Hey Dad, I need some money to repay a friend who bought me Starbucks and for some haunted houses I’ll be going to next week for Halloween.” Now, granted, asking for money is a bit of a trigger for me, and nevermind the fact that I’ve routinely talked to her about saving money and getting a job. In walks my older daughter who has conveniently overheard this conversation and says to me, “That’s not fair! I asked for...

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

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on August 9, 2019 at 12:31 PM /

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 with me, even when we all go out to dinner...

Lying to Your Therapist: Working Through It

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on June 6, 2019 at 3:38 PM /

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 lives and a path to the truth about ourselves, friends,...

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

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on May 6, 2019 at 4:16 PM /

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 evening. What can we do? Understanding Procrastination Almost everyone puts things off...

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 /

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 could help him avoid becoming hooked on Marlboro’s or even...

Kids and Suicide: Having a Serious and Frank Conversation About the Topic

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on March 28, 2019 at 9:56 AM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. It just broke my heart to hear in the news that two students who survived the Parkland shooting in 2018 died by suicide related to PTSD. I can’t even imagine the psychological trauma they endured from such a horrible tragedy. I have a son and it worries me sick thinking of something like that happening at his school. I also can’t help but think that there might be other unimaginable things he and kids his age go through that might trigger feelings of suicide. It scares me to death, and...

White Lies: Your Child’s Deceit May Not Be as Bad as You Think

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on February 28, 2019 at 12:57 PM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. “You cannot lie to me, Sarah. Do you understand?” My husband Stephen’s tone was soft but serious. Sarah’s little toddler head nodded. A few hours later, after we had put her to bed, I asked Stephen what that was all about. He said he caught Sarah lying to him about dipping her finger into the Nutella jar. I giggled, of course, and told him he shouldn’t be upset about that. He then went on to tell me that if he doesn’t teach Sarah that lying is bad, she’ll be...

Starting Over: Not Reaching Your Goals May Just Mean That You Haven’t Figured it Out “Yet”

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on February 22, 2019 at 11:35 AM /

The human condition is amazing for its ability to fail at something repeatedly and, when it is important, to keep on trying. This week’s vignette comes from a personal experience of mine. The struggle began in high school when my mother and I tried out the “Stewardess Diet”. All I remember was that it included beets, a new food for me at the time. I can’t recall if either of us lost any weight, but we definitely bonded over our efforts. I’m not even sure if I needed to lose weight! Now, after many years and at least as many diets, I...

Taking it One Step at a Time: Overcoming the Loss of a Loved One

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on February 15, 2019 at 11:18 AM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. My coworker, Jane, recently lost her terminally-ill grandfather and has since been visibly gloomy. I asked her if everything was okay, but of course, she is devastated. I keep hoping that her mood improves. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case and she’s become increasingly secluded and avoids everyone at the office. She’s also requested a few personal days from work. I offered to visit her at home, but she didn’t want to talk to anyone. Is there any way to help her? Losing someone you love can be one of...