When we enter the world, we transition from an insulated environment to one that is full of challenges. We must learn how to navigate around both expected and unexpected events. It is a journey that is easier for some and more difficult for others. As adults, it can be easy to overlook the process our… Read more »
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When I first met Rikki in the parking lot of a Motel 6, she effortlessly captured my heart. I had actually started to care about her even before that first meeting. As a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer preparing for my first case, I had read Rikki’s file. I knew she was 10, she… Read more »
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While bearing our own suffering is bad enough, watching our children struggle can be almost unbearable! It’s natural to want to avoid things that are uncomfortable and unpleasant, and especially to protect our children from experiencing them. And clearly, suffering for extended periods of time is unacceptable. But the truth is, life is not without… Read more »
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For years, I’ve taught a weekly psychology class to students ranging from 7 to 14 years-old. In this class, I encourage self-reflection, asking kids to identify and express what they think and feel and to consider the thoughts and feelings of others. The results are often surprising. Strong, self-aware statements come out of their mouths… Read more »
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We are often so focused on physical and sexual abuse that we forget to consider emotional abuse, which is more difficult to identify when it is happening to our loved ones or to ourselves. Mental abuse can occur in any relationship among adults, in adolescent peer groups and in families. We need to become more… Read more »
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The other day I recommended the movie Inside Out to my friend, Cynthia, as an intervention. Her favorite niece, Emily, is going through puberty. The sweet little girl who used to love shopping and doing craft projects with her aunt, is now moody and not interested in sharing those activities. Cynthia feels hurt about this… Read more »
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We all know that children who are beaten and abused by adults are more likely to develop problems of their own at some point in time – but did you know that bullying by peers is five times more likely to result in anxiety and twice as likely to result in depression and talking about… Read more »
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Watch an excerpt from PsychAlive’s interview with Dr. Allan Schore. Dr. Allan Schore explains how to optimize a child’s capacity to regulate their own emotional states. Dr. Allan Schore: The right hemisphere is in an early growth spurt from the last trimester of pregnancy through the second year of life, which overlaps perfectly all of the… Read more »
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Watch an excerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. James Garbarino. Dr. James Garbarino talks about his motivations for writing the book, The Psychologically Battered Child. Dr. James Garbarino: I can give you two versions of how The Psychologically Battered Child came into existence. One is the version that I was aware of at the time… Read more »
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Watch an excerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. Peter Levine. Dr. Peter Levine talks about helping children who experience trauma. Dr. Peter A. Levine: Our organization, the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute, has done a lot of work in areas where there have been tremendous natural disasters — earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes. And we’ve worked with… Read more »
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