The current situation in Ukraine can be frightening for your child(ren). Kids may see disturbing images on TV and social media and/or hear about the possibility of a broader war from media sources or their friends.  With this in mind… open lines of communication so they know you’re a safe place to share feelings and fears let them know world …

If your child struggles with anxiety, you know the challenge of finding the right things to say when he or she is worried. It’s not easy to connect without making the fears worse, while at the same time offering support and encouragement. Are you curious how you can help calm an anxious child? Today, my good friend and parent coach, Nicole from …

Every Monday morning at Harvie Elementary School, in Henrico County, Va., Brett Welch stands outside her office door as kids file in. “The first thing I’m looking for are the faces,” says Welch, a school counselor. She’s searching for hints of fear, pain or anger. “Maybe there was a domestic incident at the house that weekend,” says Welch. “That’s reality …

Emotional Neglect is a parent’s failure to act.  In some ways it is the opposite of mistreatment and abuse.   It’s a failure to notice, attend to, or respond appropriately to a child’s feelings.  Emotional neglect is one of the 10 Adverse Childhood Experiences. Because it’s mostly silent and invisible, childhood emotional neglect is largely an overlooked phenomenon in mental health.  Unlike physical abuse or neglect …

Some of the most troubling images of the opioid crisis involve parents buying or using drugs with their children in tow. Now new research offers a glimpse into the addicted brain, finding that the drugs appear to blunt a person’s natural parenting instincts. Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania scanned the brains of 47 men and …