Solo Holidays: Tampa Counselors Recommended to Feel Less Alone During This Time of Year

on December 8, 2023 at 9:00 AM /

As the popular song goes, the holiday season is “the most wonderful time of the year”. Yet, it’s wonderful only if you have people to spend it with. This is a topic our Tampa counselors have heard before. For those who don’t have loved ones, the holidays can be lonely, sad, and depressing. If you’ve been in this position before, then you know how hard it is. This is why our team of licensed psychologists and Tampa counselors want to provide some information to help you survive and, hopefully, feel less lonely during the holidays. Steps to Take If you find yourself alone...

Being Bored: Why Our Tampa Therapists Say it’s a Good Thing for Your Kids

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on December 1, 2023 at 5:52 PM /

Dr. Wendy Rice

Consider the following story from our Tampa Therapists 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...

The Sweet Side of Halloween: How To Go Through Your Child’s Candy and What To Look For

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on October 15, 2023 at 6:40 PM /

Halloween is considered one of the most fun and creative times of the year. Allowing your little ones to dress up as their favorite monster or video game character is only half of it, though. The other exciting part is going out and trick-or-treating! Parents, while going house to house and grabbing as much candy as possible is a fun and exciting time for your kids, it’s important you are aware of the candy they are receiving and how much of it they are actually eating. Before your kids head out on Halloween night, Rice Psychology Group wants to share...

OCD at Home: How Families Can Work Together for Progress

By Rice Psychology Group

on October 10, 2023 at 5:28 PM /

Parenting is tough. Parenting a kid with OCD? Even tougher. Parents often do whatever they can to alleviate their child’s distress related to their OCD. Sometimes, though, what they do ends up reinforcing their child’s OCD, which can make their OCD stronger. Many families accommodate their child’s OCD. How could you not? It is difficult to watch your child struggle. Some family accommodations are appropriate as well. How do you know what is reinforcing their OCD vs. what is helping? At Rice Psychology in Tampa, we recognize how difficult it can be to make this distinction. Here are some examples...

Halloween Jitters: 5 Tips for Parents to Take the Fright Out of this Fun Holiday

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on October 8, 2023 at 4:32 PM /

If you’re the parent of a young child and are dreading Halloween, then you’re not alone. Many parents fear exposing their young ones to scary things like costumes, masks, movies and such. But breathe a sigh of relief because our licensed mental health counselors and psychologists in Tampa want to offer five tips to make Halloween fun and not scary! Select the Right Costume Get creative with your child’s costume. This is the perfect time to sit down with your child and brainstorm together. If your little one frightens easily, try something fun and more traditional like a: Bedsheet-style ghost Friendly vampire...

Empowering Parents: Supporting a Child Who is Self-Harming

By Rice Psychology Group

on September 27, 2023 at 12:56 PM /

Finding out your child has self-harmed might be one of the most challenging things you can go through as a parent. You may feel disappointed, confused, angry, guilty, in denial, or all the above. How could the child you have spent so much time and energy on feel the need to hurt themselves? The answer is complicated and different for each child. What is Self-harm? Self-harm is any action that a person takes to cause injury outside of socially acceptable practices and without suicidal intent. Common forms of self-harm include cutting, burning, and hitting/punching self, but they can take many other forms....

When Fear and Anxiety Take the Reins

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on September 18, 2023 at 3:47 PM /

Behavior

As a psychologist, one of the things I pride myself in the most is providing a safe and judgement-free space, where I can help my clients better understand anxiety, fear, and panic and how our brains and bodies go into fight or flight (or freeze) mode when we perceive danger. I will explain how their reactions of fear and anxiety are nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed of, but simply a way our minds are trying to protect us. These emotions are very common. In my day to day life, I’ve struggled with my own anxiety, and have worked hard to...

Suicide Prevention: Knowing When & Where to Get Help

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on September 8, 2023 at 8:03 AM /

By Wendy Rice, Psy.D. Licensed Psychologist Believe it or not, suicidal thoughts are frequent visitors to therapy sessions. At Rice Psychology in Tampa, we recognize that these thoughts typically arise when life’s stressors become too overwhelming for a person’s coping abilities. Some clients express thoughts of not wanting to be alive, thinking their family would be better off without them or having no hope for improvement in their life. While some of these statements may be vague, it is our duty to take the necessary steps to keep the person safe. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, suicide is the...

Election Tension: When Families Flare Up with Politics

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on July 24, 2023 at 11:47 AM /

The political landscape of 2023 has been incredibly contentious, to say the least. It has forced us, as a nation, to have conversations about difficult topics, take sides, and frequently butt heads with others. Maybe you have noticed that sharing opinions and information is more intense than ever. How can we safeguard our friendships and bonds with family from political disagreements? Our licensed mental health counselors and psychologists in Tampa want to share some thoughts about this very important topic. The Party Defense Unfortunately, too many political discussions drift toward the unreasonable. Often, these discussions center around defending one’s political party and...

Navigating ADHD: A Guide for Every Struggling Parent

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on July 20, 2023 at 12:27 AM /

As a parent, we know you want to give your kid the best, including helping them succeed and making their struggles or pain disappear. However, when your child’s behavior seems uncontrollable and there’s a chance that ADHD could be playing a role, it could be a bit more complicated and we’re here to help. Our Tampa Psychologists know that dealing with a new diagnosis can be overwhelming and confusing. Disorders like ADHD can especially be difficult to navigate when there is a lot of information provided by different sources. So how do you know what is true or false? We’ve put together...