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How to Talk to Someone Who is Suicidal
I recently attended the New Jersey Suicide Prevention Conference. This topic is never easy to discuss or listen to, but it is crucial. New Jersey has lower suicide rates compared to other states, but suicide rates are increasing across the country. The biggest takeaway from the conference is that the best way to prevent suicide…
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How to Support LGBTQ+ Youth in 2023
Americans live in a time of growing societal rifts. One such yawning divide is on how we treat and view members of the LGBTQ+ community. The people who are most harmed by the backlash against the queer and transgender community are, predictably, children. Already disproportionally impacted by discriminatory practices and laws, LGBTQ+ youth are enduring…
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5 Bully Prevention Tips for Parents and Schools That Work
Schools should be a safe place for everyone to come, as they are, and learn skills for their future. Bullying makes schools unsafe. Ending bullying is not solely the responsibility of parents or schools, but it does require both to work together to help create good humans and future leaders. Read on for 5 bully…
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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 MoreHow Do Caregivers Talk to a Child About an Absent Parent?
Christine Wamble, MFT, works with individuals, couples, and families in our University City office. Read on to learn her advice to caretakers on how to talk with a child about an absent parent. Ideally, a caretaker’s response should be emotionally regulated and delivered in a developmentally appropriate way. Single-parent families exist for a multitude of…
Read MoreBack to School on the Right Foot
Lynne Raju, MS, LMFT works with parents and children in Exton, Pennsylvania. Read on to learn how to prepare your children for a prosperous school year. Children will be back to school soon. This can be a stressful time for them because it means new teachers, classmates, schedules, and routines. These changes can trigger anxiety…
Read MoreWhy I joined a group of clinicians devoted to Women’s Psychological Health Services
Staff Therapist Laurel Roe, MS CHR, MFT is one of over 20 clinicians in the Women’s Psychological Health Services program at Council for Relationships. Read on to find out more about the services offered and why CFR staff members are honored to be a part of this new initiative. As a clinician, I know that every…
Read MoreThe benefits of “faking calm” when you feel angry
March Featured Therapist Ellen Mishel, MSS, LSW, MFT specializes in helping parents improve their parenting skills and relationships with their children. Her tips for channeling angry energy into productive communication are great for couple or co-worker relationships, too. We all get angry. Anger is a natural feeling. It is not good or bad. However, how we…
Read MoreHow to Recognize Anxiety in Children
Sarah Bauer, MS, MFT is a couple and family therapist, specializing in domestic violence, trauma, grief and loss, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Many children and adults experience anxiety at one time or another. Adults may attribute such feelings of nervousness (“butterflies”), worry, or sleep issues. Children, however, having not yet developed the skills to state…
Read MoreHow to Talk So Your Children Will Listen
Ellen Mishel, MSS, LSW, MFT is a licensed social worker and Certified Parenting Educator who works with individuals, couples, families, and more. Are you frustrated that your child isn’t listening to you? Are you feeling stressed because there’s yelling and screaming in your home, but your communication still isn’t effective? Improving the way your family…
Read MoreHow to Set New Year’s Resolutions: A Guide for Parents and their Children
Michele Southworth, JD, LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a licensed attorney. When working with divorcing and divorced families, she uniquely combines her two professions to serve as therapist, co-parenting counselor, mediator, or parenting coordinator. New Year’s resolutions for children ages 5 to 12, when thoughtfully made, can be an affirming and empowering…
Read MoreInter-Generational Holiday Celebrations: A Guide For Adult Children and Their Parents
Staff Therapist Susan Neumann Gordon, LSW, MBA, has extensive experience with individuals, couples and families in life transitions, relationships between parents and adult children, and couples’ conflict resolution and communication skills. During the season of joy and light, we may have high hopes for family togetherness and harmony. Yet, when generations of family convene, there may…
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 MoreCoping with the Las Vegas Shooting: How to Talk to Your Kids
What About the Children? Ben King and Laurel Roe, staff therapists at CFR, share their insights below on how to talk to your kids about the shooting in Las Vegas this week. “I am so upset that my children are growing up in this world.” “How do I explain what is happening to my children? …
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 MoreThe Magic of Sand Tray Therapy for Children
Sand Tray Therapy, or Sandplay, is hands on psychological work. It is a powerful therapeutic technique that facilitates the minds natural capacity for healing. In a safe space, a client creates a physical manifestation of his or her world using sand, water, and miniature objects. Typically this technique is utilized with children who may not be able to verbally…
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