Maintaining Mental Health in a Crisis
We are currently in a crisis, including threat to our health and well being, economic insecurities, and major disruptions to our routine. This crisis state increases our chances of depression, anxiety, and physical health complaints, and those who have a mental health condition, including ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, or mood disruptions are particularly vulnerable to […]
All About Telehealth
If there is a phrase to sum up what we are all going through right now, it is “unprecedented times.” At the same time that we are experiencing increasing uncertainty, upheaval to our work and school routines, and rapid adjustments to expectations economically, socially, and for recreation, we are also faced with increasing isolation and […]
Special Needs and Friendship
When a parent or caregiver receives a diagnosis for their child, a myriad of thoughts, hopes, dreams and fears flood that parents mind. The medical and financial costs, the emotional turmoil and trauma that comes with navigating medical and mental health scare systems, and the educational battles that come along with a special needs diagnosis […]
How To Help Kids Deal With Bullying
Bullying continues to be a major factor in schools and child environments. While policy makers, schools, and parents have increased efforts to prevent bullying and respond quickly, the increase in technology and the ever present power dynamics and hierarchies that exist within social structures means that bullying will continue to be a factor for children’s […]
When Should Parents Get Involved With School?
0Being a parent is a constant tight rope balance between support and enabling. The goal is to eventually launch children into the world as productive and independent as they possibly can be – with all of the help and scaffolding they might need along the way. It can be challenging along the way to know […]
Raising Girls
In our last post, we discussed the differences that male identified children have as compared to female identified children. We reviewed some of the structural brain changes, as well as some of the societal and cultural norms and expectations that male children cope with, and the need for emotional support and understanding for male children. […]
Raising Boys
On the surface, raising a child with an identified gender of male should be much the same as raising a female identified child We are thankfully moving past strict gender guidelines, and no longer are toys considered “boy toys” or “girl toys” (for the most part). However, there are societal differences and expectations that do […]
Talking To Teenagers
Parents often feel that they’ve entered a new planet, or at least a foreign country, when their sweet innocent children become teenagers. Adolescence is a developmental period where identity, responsibility, maturity, and hormones can bring about changes, heightened emotions, and a whole new set of tools for parents to master. Teenagers get a bad reputation, […]
Welcome Jessy Coleman, LPC-Intern!
It is with great pleasure that Upside Therapy and Evaluation Center welcomes our new therapist, Jessica “Jessy” Coleman, LPC-Intern. Jessy is supervised by Nichole Lecznar, MS, LPC-S. Jessy received her Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Oklahoma State University, and she is currently in the process of obtaining her second Master’s degree in Applied […]
Tried and True Tips For Parenting Differently Abled Children
In this age of the internet, many parents crowd source their parenting decisions, even before a child is born. Parents scan the internet reading reviews of strollers and car seats, and read blogs about specifics like weaning and introducing solid foods, to overall parenting philosophies and discipline strategies. Parents of children with special needs are […]