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

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...

Helping Yourself: How Volunteering Can Make a Huge Difference for Your Mental Health

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on August 1, 2019 at 12:38 PM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. A couple of months ago, I began feeling stressed and anxious due to the pressures of work. My husband suggested we take a small trip to take my mind away from the office. My mother, however, said she had a better idea and invited me to join her in volunteering at the local food bank. After a couple of weekends doing so, I began to feel better. I felt a bit more optimistic about my performance at work and my coworkers noticed the change in me as well. I guess...

Knowing the Differences Between Service, Emotional Support, and Therapy Animals

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on July 26, 2019 at 9:44 AM /

Therapy Dogs

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. Last week at the grocery store, Brad and I saw an adorable dog and I immediately wanted to pet it. Its handler, however, told us that the pup was his “service dog” and could not be distracted. The following day at the park, we saw an “emotional support dog,” according to her owner. And now my sister, Nathalie, who is in the hospital, tells me that a “therapy dog” has been brought by to provide her with some company. How exactly do these types of dogs differ from each other? Have...

Why “Sleep Hygiene” is a Must for You and Your Family

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on July 19, 2019 at 8:31 AM /

Blog

I think it’s been close to three weeks since I’ve had a good night’s sleep. I’ve tried so many remedies to help me, but none have worked so far. I exercise just before bedtime to make sure I’m nice and tired and even spend some time on Facebook to relax me, but nothing helps! My husband, Mark, suggested learning about “sleep hygiene,” something that he read about online. I have no idea what that is, but I’m willing to give it a try. How often do you roll around in bed trying to find the most comfortable position, the coolest...

Freddish: Mr. Rogers’ Guide for Talking to Kids

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on July 11, 2019 at 3:36 PM /

Consider the following story as it relates to this week’s topic. Before Audrey was born, I was often told that being a parent would be tough, but it wasn’t the diapers, the sleepless nights, or the tantrums that proved to be difficult. Now that she’s older, I’m finding that answering her frequent questions about what certain things mean or explaining even the simplest of life’s moments can be difficult. She is so inquisitive, and I am having trouble finding the right way to explain things to her. How can I do a good job at communicating and explaining things to her...

Jotting it Down: How You Can Make Your Note-Taking Skills Stronger

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on June 28, 2019 at 9:33 AM /

I feel really good about going back to school for my master’s degree. It’ll help my career outlook and put me on track to a doctorate. But I’m not looking forward to taking lecture notes. Homework and tests were always easy for me, but as soon as the professor began lecturing and my pen hit the paper, I’d begin sweating bullets. I never knew what to write down! I would miss large chunks of information and it made me anxious about upcoming tests. I hope to find a way to deal with this problem before classes begin. Good study notes and...

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

By Dr. Wendy Rice

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...

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,...

Bringing Back Family Night: A Few Out-of-the-Box Ideas to Spend More Time with Those You Love

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on May 30, 2019 at 1:26 PM /

Last week, my wife and I spent our entire Saturday at my mother-in-law’s home for her birthday. We loved every minute of it, and I even got to see some of the family’s old photos! There were a ton of pictures of birthdays, Christmases, and Thanksgivings, but even more of just regular nights of them together as a family. My mother-in-law said they really enjoyed having “family nights” as often as possible doing fun and quirky activities. She says she misses them and hopes that Jackie and I do the same for our kids when they get a little older....