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“I Don’t See Color”: White Caregivers Raising BIPOC Children
In previous generations, the phrase “I don’t see color” was a mark of being progressive. Parents would use the phrase to explain why the differences of another person were not important when cultivating relationships. By telling children the color of a person does not matter, it also allows for parents and caregivers to avoid having…
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Teach Your Children Well
The 2020-2021 school year has officially ended at schools across the country, and we are heading into another season of mixed thoughts and emotions. Just as has been the case in the past year of the COVID pandemic, that will mean different things to different people and families. While we are eager to put the…
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One for the Yearbooks: A Time to Process the End of Another School Year in a Pandemic
We have arrived at the end of another school year in a pandemic. Many of the meaningful traditions we look forward to this time each year may once again not be possible. As many schools move to re-create significant events like graduations and proms in order to follow safety guidelines, they may look and feel…
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The Transition Back to School
September brings with it the realization that we are still living within the confines of COVID-19 restrictions. As families transition into this new school year, it’s a reminder of how challenging this “new normal” can be for children and parents. It’s a parent’s role to help children manage their stress; This can be especially difficult…
Read MoreCo-Parenting 101: Raising Kids, Together and Apart
So, you have recently decided to separate. Perhaps you have been divorced for years or maybe you were never married. In any case, raising a child with someone you aren’t partnered with or living with anymore changes the situation. There is no single exhaustive list of how-to’s about co-parenting, and every parent, child, and family…
Read MoreTalking to Children About COVID-19
COVID-19 is being discussed everywhere, every day. Whether it’s the political aspects, the statistics, or the warning signs, chances are, if you have had your TV on in the last two months, your child has picked up pieces of information. Some parents may be having direct conversations with children about the pandemic, while others may…
Read MoreKeeping College Admissions In Perspective
If you’re a senior in high school or the parent of a senior in high school, the end of March is more about college admissions than the beginning of spring. The recent college admissions scandal is just one example of how parents can become overwhelmed and over-involved in the lives and decisions of the high…
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Yes, Your Teenager Wants to Talk to You About Porn
Kristine Seitz, M.Ed, MSW, LSW is a sexuality educator and Licensed Social Worker who specializes in providing therapy to adolescents, adults, and young adults experiencing anxiety, communication and intimacy issues, depression, grief and loss, infidelity, relationship issues, sexual abuse, sexuality concerns, and trauma. After reading New York Times Magazine’s article What Teenagers are Learning from Online…
Read MoreCo-Parenting After Divorce: How to Set Aside Differences and Support Your Kids
This blog was originally published on Counsel Philadelphia and is re-posted here with the author’s permission. Adam Goodman is a former Staff Therapist at Council for Relationships and a licensed attorney experienced in divorce mediation and co-parenting. Co-parenting is hard, especially if уоu have a contentious rеlаtіоnѕhір with уоur ex-partner. Yоu may bе соnсеrnеd аbоut your…
Read MoreThe Lifelong Benefits of Military Family Life for Adult Children
At Council for Relationships, our Staff Therapists come from diverse backgrounds that have shaped their clinical practices. Staff Therapist Rita DeMaria, PhD, LMFT, CST spent her young life abroad in Japan, Ethiopia, and Turkey as her family moved around to accommodate her father’s military career. Read in her own words how this experience shaped her…
Read MoreNovember is National Adoption Month
November marks the annual celebration of adoption. This is something to be celebrated, but it’s also important to remember that adoption, especially for the adoptees, comes with an element of loss. Even in the best-case scenarios, adoptees will need support and guidance throughout their lives with processing their feelings, and how being adopted has impacted…
Read MoreHow to Deal with Halloween Anxiety
Halloween is a time of frights, horror, and of course, candy. Although goblins and ghouls can entice some, for many it can be a time of terror – not the good kind. For some, it can heighten anxiety that was present before the trick or treating has even begun. Children are especially prone to anxiety…
Read MoreWhy the Crisis of Teen Suicide Needs More Attention
We at Council for Relationships agree with Dr. Daniel Taylor’s article that ran in yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer. We appreciate all of the work that he and his colleagues at Drexel University School of Medicine and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children have done in this area, as well as the efforts of the City of Philadelphia’s…
Read MoreKindergarten Wall, A poem about children and stress
Children are amazing little seeds that will someday grow into wise and sturdy trees. Parents, teachers, and therapists are some of the most helpful resources and advocates for today’s children. With so much going on in the world, so many expectations in school, and abundant research on how childhood relationships shape young people long into…
Read MoreDepression: Fighting the Stigma
Two high school students recently wrote an article about their squashed efforts to bring mental health issues out into the open at their school. Their voice was heard by The New York Times, which both printed and published the article “Depressed, But Not Ashamed” online. The students’ opinion has sparked debate and support. Karyn Feit,…
Read MoreHow to Have an Effective Family Meeting
Our families are the foundations on which our children build their self-esteem and their mental and emotional health. The acceptance they experience and the love they see in their family’s eyes reflect an image for them as the young self develops. Having family meetings can be a way to solidify the family foundations that help…
Read MoreThoughts from the Movie “Boyhood”
The Oscar-nominated film Boyhood takes us on a young man’s journey through 12 years. The poignant movie shows the mistakes and triumphs of one family, with parts that we can all relate to. We asked our therapists to share their thoughts from the movie. Read their feelings on Boyhood below before the Academy Awards this Sunday. (Spoiler Alert:…
Read MoreTips for Talking to Kids About Tragedy
Ferguson. Newtown. Earthquakes. Robin Williams. It’s hard to know what to say, how to say it and when to say it, especially when trying to explain difficult topics to little minds. Here are some things to be mindful of when trying to make sense of a complex situation: Keep calm and understand: Get down to…
Read MoreBack-to-School Blues
Jeff Beers, LMFT is a former Staff Therapist at Council for Relationships. He now serves as Staff Therapist and Manager of Operations and Program Development at Menergy, an intervention, treatment, training and education program working to stop harmful behavior and intimate partner violence. Fall brings many changes to the lives of children and adolescents, and…
Read MoreCountdown to Kindergarten-5 Easy Steps to Ease the Transition
So, your young child has graduated from pre-school and will soon be attending Kindergarten. Or perhaps your child did not attend pre-school and they are preparing for their first significant block of time away from you. First of all, Congratulations Mom and Dad! You have shepherded your child through their early developmental years. For some…
Read MoreParenting and Stress Management
Parenting is hard. No question about it. Just look around and you can see parents screaming at their kids, scowling silently or perhaps close to tears. Children have a way of getting into the deepest and most primal part of our psyches. When we least expect it, we feel out of control with our buttons…
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