As a psychologist who works with children and teens to battle anxiety every day, I have been processing the brave words and actions of Olympic champion Simone Biles all week. At just 24 years old, Ms. Biles has been thrust into the spotlight of these 2021 Olympics as the epitome of athleticism, and now, as a mental health advocate and role model. For athletes, young people, and particularly for Black women everywhere, Ms. Biles has set an example of prioritizing her mental health and well-being above others’ expectations of her…but what does this mean for us mere mortals?

As summer heat waves break records across the country, many kids and teens have already started preparations for the upcoming school year. Given the many months of learning at home, virtual school, hybrid education, and socially-distanced classes (or some combination of all of these), students are in for another strange and anxiety-provoking back-to-school season. Here are a few things that parents and professionals need to know about back-to-school anxiety in 2021:

Grief is a normal reaction to the death of a loved one, which is experienced across cultures. Grief can manifest in many ways, based on the bereaved person’s developmental stage, family/cultural norms, relationship with the person who died, and many other factors. Below is information intended for caregivers regarding 1) what grief might look like for youth in different developmental stages and 2) what caregivers can do to help youth through the grieving process. 

Online school has altered the nature and degree of parental involvement in their children’s schoolwork. As children have had to take on more independence, many parents have struggled to know how much to involve themselves in their children’s daily educational tasks and activities. This series of blog posts presents recommendations to help guide your involvement in your child’s online education.

A certain degree of parent involvement is necessary for most children to engage in online school sufficiently. However, too much parent involvement can backfire and hinder children's academic and behavioral development. So, how much is too much? And when is it not quite enough? The answer is: it depends on the child, their teachers, and your parenting values and level of availability to engage.

Over the past year, parents have been taxed with the immense challenge of navigating the pandemic while also ensuring that their children’s needs are being met. For many parents, this has meant juggling work from home while also supporting their childrens’ online schooling, on top of generally helping their families cope with increased isolation, boredom, and uncertainty.

As COVID-19 cases in the area decrease, a growing number of children are returning to in-person school. Many children are excited to return to school in person. However, for scores of children and adolescents, that excitement may also be accompanied by apprehension, nervousness, and/or anxiety.

As we approach the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 uprooting our lives as we knew it, most people are eager to return to their pre-pandemic routines and activities. However, the reality is that it will likely be some time before things fully return to “normal”. Unfortunately for most people, the appeal of “shelter at home” activities wore off a few months after the pandemic began.

During the COVID pandemic, many people are struggling to maintain healthy sleeping habits for a variety of reasons. Our work and social lives increasingly rely on screens, our homes (and sometimes bedrooms) may now be our workplaces, and our normal routines have been disrupted. Additionally, many people are suffering from increased stress.

A Psychological Assessment is often a critical component of one’s journey toward mental well-being. These evaluations provide information about a person’s cognitive, academic, executive, social, and emotional functioning. Psychological Assessments are frequently used to evaluate for diagnoses such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Specific Learning Disability (SLD), or even to differentiate between different types of anxiety disorders. Here are a few great reasons to have a Psychological Assessment completed over the summer:

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) suggests that our thoughts, feelings/emotions, and behaviors are all connected to one another and influence one another. CBT aims to identify and modify unhelpful thinking and behavioral patterns.

Imagine walking into school, the grocery store, the mall, or church. As soon as you walk in, you are suddenly paralyzed with anxiety, unable to speak to anyone. You are unable to ask questions or get help with your basic needs. You struggle to make eye contact. For many children with selective mutism this crippling anxiety is part of everyday life.

Unfortunately, it often takes people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) many years to receive proper diagnosis and treatment after symptom onset. In fact, due to stigma, embarrassment, lack of public awareness about OCD, financial barriers, and lack of access to a properly trained mental health professional, some estimates suggest that it takes an average of 14-17 years to obtain proper treatment. There are, however, very effective treatments available.

OCD stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which is a neurobiological condition that affects an estimated 1 in 100 children and 1 in 40 adults across the United States. OCD causes unwanted, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that often lead to repetitive behaviors, routines or rituals (compulsions) that are performed in an effort to ease anxiety.