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The week before Christmas, my husband and I filled up our travel mugs with coffee and ventured forth into the dark of night. The classic holiday tunes on the radio, with a little help from our car’s heater, kept us warm as we made our annual trek around town to view all the holiday décor. We were armed with our official 2024 Scavenger Hunt checklist. The list included items we look forward to every year. The old favorites that keep us grounded, but with a hoped-for surprise or two. …

“I’ll start my diet on Monday. I’ll start my diet this summer. I’ll start my diet in January…” Sound familiar? The start of a new year is always buzzing with excitement, full of promises of new beginnings. It's that time when we give ourselves permission to start fresh, set big goals, and dive into resolutions with a “clean slate.” We tell ourselves this will finally be the year we check off all those things we’ve been putting off: reading t …

Our previous posts identified factors related to the current mental health crisis and hinderances to receiving proper treatment. In this final segment of our series, we will discuss potential steps to support the young people in our own circles.“’Cause you lured me, and you hurt me, and you taught me. You caged me, and then you called me crazy. I am what I am ‘cause you trained me.”-Taylor Swift, Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?Untrain self-defeating thoughts and behaviors, while simultane …

In the first segment of our series, we identified factors that have impacted the mental health of young people. Next, we will discuss hinderances to mental health support for our youth. As previously mentioned, Taylor Swift’s lyrics are captivating and relatable. Her words seem to clarify complicated emotions and illuminate otherwise obscure innerworkings for many of her fans. In addition to this unique ability to connect listeners with their inner selves, the community that has …

The topic of Taylor Swift’s artistic merit seems to be as divisive as the great cilantro debate (a flavor to be savored, or a soapy abomination to the herb world?), yet critics and fans alike have praised the inspired verses of her latest album “The Tortured Poets Department” (TTPD).Celebrated for their vulnerability and relatability, her latest lyrics, capture many of the current mental health struggles felt by today’s youth. Her words speak to numerous and seemingly unrelated struggles …

Preparing for a recent vacation, I had a complete checklist.Outfits for all weather? Check. Toiletries? Check. Shoes for different activities? Check. Cash and cards? Check. I was covered. Nothing was left to chance.So, imagine my surprise when, not five miles into my road trip, my low fuel light came on. I’d spent all this time preparing, but the one major element I needed—the most critical one—I had forgotten.Although it was a simple hiccup in an otherwise fantastic start to vacation, it g …

Sleep. Did you know getting the recommended amount of sleep can increase your attention span and memory? It can support your immune system and improve your health. It can lower your risk for health problems like diabetes and heart disease. Sleep can also help manage your weight. Not only that, sleep can help lower your anxiety and depression. It can help you get along better with family, friends, and coworkers.The same is true for children. Getting the recommended amount of sleep has many …

Like many families when the pandemic shut down schools, I had young children at home. While juggling a new puppy, a potty-training toddler, a preschooler, a second-grader, and my own newly-remote school counseling position, I embraced the opportunity to spend quality time together while trying to maintain their love of books.For us, books and root beer floats became our new tradition. While I assembled the floats, my oldest grabbed copies of our favorite wizarding series, and we met outsi …

When it comes to autism, many people think of the diagnosis in terms of perceived weaknesses. In fact, the diagnostic criteria for autism in the DSM-5 (a reference book used universally by health professionals concerning health and brain-related conditions) emphasizes common “deficits” of core social skills as well as “restricted” and “repetitive” patterns of behavior.As neuropsychologist who have the opportunity to meet and work with young people on the autism spectrum and their families, …

Fail? For the win?Who in their right mind would ever want to fail? And how can it be considered a win? Whether we like it or not (and trust me…we don’t like it!), somewhere along the road to adulthood and maturity, our kids will experience setbacks, disappointments, and failure. They won’t make the team. They’ll flub a word in the spelling bee. They’ll lose out on the lead in the spring musical. They won’t get admitted to their first-choice college. They’ll be sad or angry or disappointed, …