What Kind of Life Do You Want?

on November 4, 2014 at 10:19 PM /

By Wendy Rice, Psy.D. Licensed Psychologist As a newly-confessed Oprah fan, I want to share with you some of the life lessons I learned from my October weekend with Oprah and her Trailblazers in Miami. The weekend was entitled Oprah’s “The Life You Want” Weekend. The program included Friday evening with Oprah alone on stage to set the proverbial stage, and then Oprah back on Saturday along with Deepak Chopra (pioneer of mind-body medicine), Elizabeth Gilbert (of Eat, Love, Pray fame), Rob Bell (Author and Pastor) and Iyanla Vanzant (star of Iyanla: Fix My Life on OWN Network). While onstage, Oprah encouraged us...

Candy, Costumes and Caution – Managing the impact of Sugar, Halloween and Safety

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on October 22, 2014 at 1:13 PM /

By Wendy Rice, Psy.D. Licensed Psychologist Halloween. Ahhhh. A smile just takes over my face as I say the word. I remember walking around Great Neck, New York with my friend Amy and sometimes other kids as well, filling up my plastic pumpkin and then coming home to sort through my loot. Halloween is the time of year when I discovered that Clark Bars, Bit-O-Honey and what used to be called $100,000 Bars (now called 100 Grand Bar) were oh so delicious. And the costumes? Childhood memories of the elephant costume made out of a hooded gray sweat suit (stuffed trunk and all),...

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...

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. ...

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)

By Rice Psychology Group

on July 29, 2014 at 3:34 PM /

Sarah is the mother of a 5 year old boy, Dylan. She feels frustrated and lost as to how to handle her son’s behaviors. He throws tantrums when he does not get his way, screams, hits, and throws things. Sarah finds herself constantly telling Dylan to clean up his toys and he refuses to comply. She gets so frustrated that she yells and loses her temper. She eventually cleans up the toys herself....

The Psychological Price of Affluence

By Rice Psychology Group

on July 14, 2014 at 6:17 PM /

By Megan Sutsko, Psy.D. Licensed Psychologist A recent trend in social media has users following their statuses or captions with funny self-deprecating hashtags. Examples are, “My PureBarre class was cancelled #whitegirlproblems” or “iphone contacts deleted! #firstworldproblems.” The assumption is that when upper class Americans complain, their worries are really minimal compared to those with “real” problems. What could financially privileged families and individuals really have to complain about anyway? Well, as far as mental health is concerned, there is actually scientifically supported research that has found that the wealthiest families in our nation have some of the most at-risk children and...

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. ...

Father’s Day Observations

By Rice Psychology Group

on June 18, 2014 at 1:39 PM /

By Mary Ann Pickard Is Father’s Day a time to just buy another greeting card or a time to think about what Dad means to you? I have observed Fathers for close to 60 years. From my own father, to those of my cousins, classmates, students, friends, and especially the one who helped me raise my own kids. I am pretty sure I have personally seen the full range of the worst (those who deny, abuse or abandon) to the absolute best fathers (those who love, respect and protect).The one thing they all have in common is the power to impact their...