All About Parenting Styles

While the relationship within families, and between parent and child are unique and special to each relationship, researchers have been able to determine distinct and separate parenting styles that have historically fallen into four different categories.  Previously, parenting styles could be considered permissive, authoritarian, authoritative, and un-involved/neglectful. The parenting styles were described in terms of […]

What Happens When Kids With Autism Grow Up?

When Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is discussed, a major emphasis on childhood and early intervention is usually a part of this conversation.  This is great news, as there is endless support and evidence for the need for early intervention for toddlers and young children with the diagnosis, as early intervention improves prognosis and outcomes.  Yet […]

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 […]

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. […]

How To React When Someone Comes Out

Coming out – the process of revealing your sexual or gender identity to others around you – can be terrifying.  Yet in an effort to live authentically, congruently, and freely, it is necessary to divulge certain very personal pieces of information with loved ones.  We unfortunately live in a “heteronormative” society, which means that others […]

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 […]

Treatment Guidelines for Transgender Individuals

Historically, the mental health and medical communities have not always had the best understanding of transgender and gender diverse health care and mental health needs – nor the best intentions in caring for those who are not cis-gender.  Thankfully, research, understanding, and humanity have evolved into a growing de-stigmatization of gender diversity.  Internationally, movement is […]

Parenting A Child With A Disability

Parenting is hard, bringing risks and rewards, struggles and highlights.  This is no different for a parent who has a child with a disability.  Yet parents of special needs children also experience increased isolation and loneliness, additional roles of warrior and advocate, and increased fears about the future, and ones’ own mortality. The experiences of […]

How To Make, And Keep, New Years Resolutions

Research has shown that while over half of Americans make New Years resolutions at the start of a new year, only 8% of Americans keep or fulfill their goal. Problems identified in why they can’t keep their goals include goals that are too vague, too hard to attain, or take too long to see results.  […]