September honors lives lost by suicide, those struggling with suicidal thoughts, and communities impacted by suicide. Suicidal Ideation or “Flipped Lid”? Young children often make concerning comments when upset such as “I hate my life,” or...
Play therapists know the value of play but not all play is created equal. There is one type of play, one that is in rapid decline in our country, that stands above the rest as a means of fortifying children with non-cognitive and protective skills needed for social,...
Let’s talk about the Summer Scaries. Taking a kids-eye-view the last two weeks of school are filled with fun times and parties, the teacher and kids you’ve been with for the past 9 months bid you farewell and now it’s time for the big unknown. SUMMER CAMP. It’s...
Summer can be filled with a lot of joy, excitement and fun! But the transition from a rigid school routine to a flexible summer may be met with some resistance. Expect kids to express and experience: Stress Anxiety towards a new routine Grief of ending...
Anxiety is an illness of “What Ifs”. It’s different from fear which is often based on specific danger. Anxiety is more general. It is a feeling of persistent worry, often about predictable themes within a child’s life. Anxiety works in a cycle. It is self...
A Review by Shawna Nelson, our Graduate Student Intern The Explosive Child, written by psychologist Dr. Ross Greene is a guide for parents of children who are inflexible, easily frustrated, angered, and triggered in especially intense ways. These children will often...
What is so special about play therapy? How is it possible that a room full of toys and an adult can create meaningful change? Firstly, we don’t have just any toys. We choose toys that facilitate expression and understanding. We create an environment with...
The playroom is a special place for children but on occasion, it can be helpful for grown ups too. Unsurprisingly, most adults don’t know how to play well. So when a grown up joins their child in the playroom we have a few rules. The first rule is that the child leads...
The Space We Make Being a parent of a child in chronic emotional distress can make you feel as if you have a phantom limb. One you can feel pain and discomfort in but have no power of relieving or protecting. This pain often rightly motivates us to seek support...
“If we were to allow the wonder of the life of a child to reach us fully and truly and to be our teacher, we would have to say: Thank you….for reminding me about the joy and excitement of being human. Thank you for letting me grow together with you, that I can learn...
