Preparing to Send Your Child to Kindergarten

Preparing to Send Your Child to Kindergarten

Children, Families, Parents, Stressors

September marks a significant milestone for my family, we are sending our first child off to kindergarten.  This is definitely a time of mixed feelings at my house.  Many of you are experiencing the same transition this fall, so I thought I would put together some tips to help all of us (children and the parents) adjust as successfully as possible.   I can honestly say that I am using these same steps as much as possible to help my family prepare for the fall.

Continue reading Preparing to Send Your Child to Kindergarten →

Children & Stressors

Stressors & Children: The Full Series

Children, Families, Parents, Stressors

We all experience stress at times, including children.    The dictionary definition of stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. As adults, we can struggle to recognize the stress that children experience and the effects that  stress has on their well-being  because it may look different than how we experience stress.  We may minimize the stress that children experience because we don’t realize how aware they are of what is going on around them.   On the other hand, we may consider their stressors not to be a “big deal.”

It’s been just over a year since I started writing the blog series addressing common stressors that children face.     At this moment there are seven posts in the series, but I am always adding more posts to the series.   I thought it would be helpful to have a complete list of all of the posts compiled in one place to make it easier to access and share them. Continue reading Stressors & Children: The Full Series →

Posts for new parents

Links for New Parents

Families, New Parents, Parents, Stressors

The adjustment to becoming a parent can be challenging and the experience of a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder can make things even more complicated.  Over the last few months, I have been focused on writing blog posts specifically focused on addressing the concerns that new parents have shared with me along with posts sharing information about perinatal mental health.

This post is a recap of everything that I have written for new parents and those who are supporting new parents.  I hope you find it helpful to have all of the information in one easily, accessible place. Continue reading Links for New Parents →

5 freee places to connect with other famiilies

5 Free Places to Connect with other Families

Uncategorized

Many parents describe difficulty forming meaningful friendships when they become parents because not only do you need to find someone you connect with, but their schedule needs to somewhat match yours and ideally your children and partners  will feel a connection, too.   Sometimes it can feel almost impossible to find other families to connect with in your area, especially if you are a first time parent or have moved to a new area.

In this post, I will share 5 free places where you can potentially connect with other families.   I have kept the list fairly general in order to make this post helpful for most readers, but have also included some local links for those of you from the Eagan, Minnesota area. Continue reading 5 Free Places to Connect with other Families →

Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders

Are there other Perinatal Mood and Anxiety  Disorders? (Part Two)

New Parents, Parents

Most people have heard about perinatal depression or anxiety, but there are additional mood and anxiety disorders that women can experience during pregnancy or in the postpartum period which you may not be as familiar with.   This two part series is aimed at introducing you to some of the additional perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

In part one of this series, I highlighted Perinatal Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Perinatal Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  This post (part t two of the series) focuses on Bipolar Mood Disorders and Postpartum Psychosis. Continue reading Are there other Perinatal Mood and Anxiety  Disorders? (Part Two) →

Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders

Are there other Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders? (Part One)

Counseling, New Parents, Parents

You’ve probably heard about depression and anxiety that occur during pregnancy or the postpartum period.  You may have even read about them in my previous posts on perinatal mental health.    But you may be less familiar with the remaining perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADS).  If you or a loved one are experiencing mental health symptoms during pregnancy or in the postpartum period, but they don’t seem to fit your understanding of perinatal depression or anxiety you may want to look into some of the other perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

What are the other perinatal mood and anxiety disorders?

  • Perinatal Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Perinatal Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Bipoloar Mood Disorders
  • Postpartum Psychosis

Continue reading Are there other Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders? (Part One) →

15 Creative Ways to Make Time for Counseling

15 Creative Ways to Make Time for Counseling

Counseling

There are many reasons why people may be hesitant to begin counseling, but one of the concerns that I hear most often is the difficulty of making time to attend appointments. It would be easy for me to say that if counseling was important to someone they would make time for it, but I know that there can be practical time barriers to attending counseling.  Time can be a significant barrier to counseling for those who work outside of the home, attend school or are the primary caregiver for their children during typical office hours. I hope that this post may inspire you to think about ways that you can work around the time barriers that interfere in getting you or a loved one the counseling services you may need.

Continue reading 15 Creative Ways to Make Time for Counseling →

10 Mantras for Moms

10 Mantras for Moms

New Parents, Parents, Self Care
A mantra is a word or a phrase that is repeated often.  Some of you may be familiar with the use of mantras in prayer or meditation, but the use of repeated phrases can also be used in more of a general way when coping with intense emotions.    Some people may consider a mantra to be an affirmation.

Many moms that I work with have found the use of mantras to be effective in helping them cope with feelings of anxiety, frustration, overwhelm, inadequacy, uncertainty, loneliness and more.  I have compiled a list of 10 mantras which may be especially helpful for moms.   As with anything, you can adapt my suggestions to fit you and your needs.

Continue reading 10 Mantras for Moms →

Identity2

Where am I? What happened to me? Re-Discovering Your Identity After Becoming a Parent

Counseling, New Parents, Parents, Self Care

The dictionary defines identity as “the condition of being oneself or itself, and not another”

Often times, people describe feeling like they have lost a bit (or a lot) of their identity as they become parents.    Some people may feel fine with this shift and others find it distressing.

I’ve heard this loss of identity presented as a concern from many women that I have encountered inside and outside of the therapy office. After their children are born, some women report that they don’t feel like themselves and struggle to find a sense of who they are outside of being a mother. Some mothers also report that they struggle in figuring out how to make time for the things that they love outside of their families because they are focused on their children and feel guilty if they shift their focus elsewhere for even brief periods of time.   These types of concerns have been shared from parents across the board including; expectant parents,  parents of infants, parents of school age children and parents of teens. Continue reading Where am I? What happened to me? Re-Discovering Your Identity After Becoming a Parent →

5 Low-Key, Fun and Free Ways to Connect With Your Family This Summer

5 Low-Key, Fun and Free Ways to Connect With Your Family This Summer

Children, Families, Parents

It is important for families to spend time together connecting in positive ways.   During the summer months it may feel like all the “fun” activities are stressful and overwhelming because they are expensive, require navigating crowds and/or require planning.   This post is not about those types of activities.

There are lots of small positive ways we can connect with members of our family at home, but this post is going to focus on activities outside of the home.   You may also be interested in reading my previous post, 8 Ways to Show Children You Love Them Throughout The Year,  for some additional inspiration.
Continue reading 5 Low-Key, Fun and Free Ways to Connect With Your Family This Summer →