Family Counseling Archives | S. Abigail McCarrel, LCSW, DCSW

How Learning Disabilities Affect a Child’s Mental Health

January 15, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

For many children and teens, learning disabilities are a frustrating part of life. Learning disabilities not only bring a sense of shame and isolation, but they can also lead to mental health issues in some children. What Are Learning Disabilities? According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a learning disability is any disorder of the fundamental psychological processes involved in understanding or using language. These can ultimately result in difficulties thinking, ...read more

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens, Children, School & Academics Tagged With: #Parenting, 2e, Family Connection, Family Counseling, Family Therapist, Family Therapy, family therapy sessions, gifted and talented, gifted family therapy, gifted parenting, gifted students, giftedness, learning disabilities, therapy for learning disabilities, twice-exceptional

What is Positive Parenting?

January 6, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

“Because I said so!!” How many times did your parents say this phrase to you? How often were you spanked as a child? How much yelling was there in your house growing up? It’s safe to say that parenting styles have changed over the years. While spanking may have been deemed okay years ago, most parents agree now that hitting a child is not okay, for any reason. Shame and yelling are also, thankfully, out of fashion. Many of today’s parents are trying to use positive parenting techniques ...read more

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: #Parent-Child Bond, #Parenting, 2e, ADHD, advantages of family therapy, Family Conflicts, Family Counseling, Family Therapist, Family Therapy, Family therapy and ADHD, family therapy for gifted, family therapy for giftedness, online family therapy, positive parenting, relationships

The Benefits of Online Therapy

December 15, 2020 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

There are many benefits of online therapy. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in innumerable ways. But, as stressful as this lockdown has been for most of us, we have learned much about ourselves as individuals and as a nation. Another silver lining that has emerged from this crisis is a new awareness and embracing of treatment tools that have been available for some time. Telehealth (or telemedicine) and online therapy have been around for decades but are now experiencing a surge in ...read more

Filed Under: General, Telehealth Tagged With: advantages of family therapy, CA, California, Family Counseling, Glendora, LaVerne, Monrovia, online counseling, online family therapy, online help for families, online therapy, online therapy Arcadia, Pasadena

Could Your Family Benefit from Family Counseling?

December 3, 2020 by BBYMCCRRL75216 2 Comments

Does your family love and support one another unconditionally? Do you have fun together? Do you find talking with your spouse and children is easy and effective? If you had to really pause and think about your answers to these questions, there’s a chance your family may not be as cohesive as you once thought or hoped. And that’s okay, not every family acts like something out of a 1950s television sitcom. Most have their own fair share of problems. If you’ve never considered working with a ...read more

Filed Under: General, Parenting Tagged With: #Parenting, advantages of family therapy, Family, Family Conflicts, Family Connection, Family Counseling, Family Therapist, Family Therapy, Family therapy and ADHD, family therapy for gifted, family therapy for giftedness, gifted family therapist, gifted family therapy, gifted parenting, In-Home Family Therapy, online family therapy

The Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 on Families

November 4, 2020 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

The mental health impact of Covid-19 on families is building. If you asked any of us a year ago what would life be like in 2020, it’s doubtful anyone would have guessed we’d be going through a global pandemic, replete with lockdowns and self-quarantining. At the beginning of the year, some families might have thought of being forced to stay home from work and school would be a fun little vacation. But as the weeks and months have passed, we’ve all learned this has been anything but fun. But ...read more

Filed Under: Family Therapy, General Tagged With: #Parenting, advantages of family therapy, Anxiety, Covid parenting stress, Covid-19, Covid-19 help, Covid-19 mental health help, Family Conflicts, Family Counseling, Family problems near me, Family Therapist, gifted students, online family therapy, stress, stress of parenting

How to Help Children Understand Terrifying Events

October 2, 2020 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

As a parent, your job is to make sure your kids grow and develop in a safe and healthy environment. To do this, you may need to help children understand terrifying events or situations. While it may be possible for you to control your immediate environment, your home, it’s simply not possible to ensure the greater world around your child is safe and free from trauma or natural disasters , civil unrest or Covid-19. The latest research points to the utter futility of trying to keep kids shielded ...read more

Filed Under: Children, Parenting, Trauma / PTSD Tagged With: #Parenting, advantages of family therapy, childhood trauma, Communication, Covid-19, Family Counseling, Family Therapist, Family Therapy, family therapy for gifted, family therapy sessions, Family trauma, gifted parenting, gifted students, why family therapy

4 Exercises to Help Teach Young Children Mindfulness

September 21, 2020 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

Let me help you teach young children mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of your body and feelings in the present moment. If you're silent for a moment, you will notice the subtle smell of your freshly washed clothing, the sound of your breathing, and watch a small leaf blow past your window. Mindfulness is an incredibly calming, relaxing practice that can help adults in numerous ways, and it may surprise you that it can help children, too. Studies have shown that children ...read more

Filed Under: Children Tagged With: Family, Family Conflicts, Family Counseling, Family Therapist, Family Therapy, family therapy sessions, gifted and talented, gifted family therapy, gifted students, mindful parenting, mindfulness, online family therapy, online therapy, parenting gifted children, young children

The Struggles Children Face When Grieving the Death of a Parent

September 2, 2020 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

The struggles children face when grieving the death of a parent are profound, regardless of the age. When most people think back to their childhood, they likely recall many memories that involve their parents. Our parents are often the ones who help us develop our sense of self. They are at the core of our childhood memories. Parents provide us with the basic needs to survive, such as food, water, shelter and safety. For children who have recently lost a parent, this profound loss can be hard to ...read more

Filed Under: Grief Tagged With: advantages of family therapy, Child Therapy, childhood loss, complicated grief, death of a parent, Family Counseling, Family Therapy, grief, grief therapy, loss, normal grief, stages of grief, the grieving process, therapy, therapy for grief

4 Fun Activities for You & Your ADHD Child

July 12, 2020 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

If you have a child who has been diagnosed with ADHD, you know one of the main symptoms is hyperactivity. In other words, your child may seem to have an excess of energy, and all of that energy needs to be channeled. Let's look at some fun activities for ADHD. Unfortunately, modern kids are far less physically active than kids from just 20 years ago. It used to be natural for kids to be outside running around and riding bikes, but many of today’s kids spend their time sedentary, watching ...read more

Filed Under: ADD / ADHD, Children Tagged With: ADHD, ADHD and the family, Family Conflicts, Family Counseling, Family Therapist, Family Therapy, Family therapy and ADHD, gifted parenting, gifted students, In-Home Family Therapy, online family therapy, online therapy, Parenting and ADHD, parenting gifted children, Tips for handling ADHD

How Therapy Can Help Families Be Resilient During COVID-19

July 2, 2020 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

How therapy can help families be resilient during COVID-19 is a burning topic these days. All of us have struggled in our own way to deal with the effects of the coronavirus. But if you are a parent, you most likely have even more concerns about the impact the virus and subsequent lockdown have had on the emotional health of your children. You’ve most likely taken certain precautions over the past few months to ensure your family’s health and well-being. You’ve made sure to social distance ...read more

Filed Under: Family Therapy Tagged With: #Parenting, 2e, advantages of family therapy, Communication, Covid-19, Family Conflicts, Family Connection, Family Counseling, Family Therapist, Family Therapy, family therapy for giftedness, family therapy sessions, gifted family therapist