Grief is a universal, unavoidable experience. And yet we live in a culture that is so very bad at dealing with grief. I recently went through a season of loss and grief and found some people were incredibly helpful in their responses and others were awkward, insensitive, and unhelpful. And…
Self-esteem can be defined as confidence and satisfaction in oneself. Good self-esteem is the key to success as an adult. It plays a role in overall wellbeing and social happiness. Good self-esteem is not in our genetic makeup. Rather, it is acquired from what a child perceives about herself and…
At the start of a new year, we are likely filled with a mixture of emotions and thoughts as we do what so readily comes to mind when one thing ends, and another thing begins – reflect. We reflect on the previous year, on significant “wins” and difficult losses. We…
When I was working in an outpatient neuropsychology clinic at a hospital, I had completed a neuropsychological evaluation with a middle-aged woman who was concerned about memory problems. Her testing indicated that cognitively she was relatively intact with some mild difficulties likely related to the effect that her depression was…
Everyone has strengths. But many people have not learned to realize their strengths for different reasons. A person may develop in a household where the parents are depressed, hopeless, beleaguered financially, or struggling with unresolved trauma or addiction. Many people grow up in families that are too weary or busy…
“Pieces. Pieces. So many pieces to my life. Scattered all around, And some of them are gone, And I know that I can’t ever Put them back together again. Pieces. Pieces. So many pieces to my life. A puzzle left unfinished, Jumbled and unformed. Who can really ever Fit…
A colleague and I played phone tag for a few weeks trying review results of a child I had evaluated. When we finally connected, I was relieved to learn that the child was in very capable hands and that the parents were equally encouraged by what they were witnessing in…
Ready for summer? Leaving for vacation? Sad you are on your way back from vacation? Is it time to head back to school? Perhaps you have a graduation coming up, a new job, or a friend is coming in from out of town. Transitions. There are so many transitions in…
A breeze tousling hair, soft grass under bare feet, warmth of sunshine. Juicy watermelon, charcoal-grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, fresh corn on the cob. Bright green leaves, blue skies with puffy clouds, colorful arrays of flowers. The smell of wet pavement after a thunderstorm, cherry blossoms, fresh cut grass. Birds…
We are one year into a global pandemic in which our lives have been significantly changed. Isolation, uncertainty, lack of routine and structure, fears about health, and the barrage of sometimes conflicting information has impacted most of us. Perhaps you have noticed a shift in your mood. Or sleep difficulties,…
