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

Just Plain Ol’ Boyhood or Oppositional Defiant Disorder?

October 20, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), can be confusing. The old expression “Boys will be boys,” describes types of behavior that may not be appreciated by parents (or sisters). These behaviors, though typically unwelcome, are rather benign in cause and effect. For instance, a typical boy might think it’s funny to put a frog in his sister’s bed. Two young boys might decide their older cousin’s wedding is the perfect place to show everyone their underwear. Typical boyhood behavior can ...read more

Filed Under: Family Therapy Tagged With: Family Counseling, Family therapist for ODD, Family Therapy, gifted students, gifted students' parents, ODD and family therapy, ODD help in children, online counseling, online therapy, oppositional defiant disorder, Oppositional defiant disorder and gifted students, Oppositional Defiant Disorder and School, Oppositional Defiant Disorder Behaviors, Oppositional Defiant Disorder Diagnosis, Oppositional Defiant Disorder Symptoms, parent education for oppositional defiant disorder

The Mental Health Dangers of an Overstuffed School Schedule

July 12, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

We all need reminders of the mental health dangers of an overstuffed school schedule, as we emerge from the pandemic. Many parents believe kids must be involved in numerous extracurricular activities to be successful adults. Perhaps we believe this abundance of activities will foster a sense of pride and accomplishment. But is this excessive involvement in activities doing more harm than good? According to a study published in the journal “Sport, Education, and Society,” the social demands of ...read more

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens, Children, School & Academics Tagged With: #Parenting, 2e, advantages of family therapy, Family Conflicts, Family Connection, Family Counseling, Family Therapist, Family Therapy, family therapy for gifted, gifted students, online counseling, online family therapy, online therapy, overstuffed school schedule, stress of parenting

Child Abuse: Recognizing the Signs

June 28, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

Recognizing the signs of child abuse is crucial. Every year, an estimated 700,000 children are abused in the United States; and every day, five children die because of child abuse. While these statistics are alarming, you may be even more surprised to learn that when children report abuse to an adult in their life, only 58% of those adults take action. As adults, it's our responsibility to help protect one of our most vulnerable populations. Physical Abuse: If a child is a victim of physical ...read more

Filed Under: Children Tagged With: #family therapy near me, #Parenting, child abuse, child neglect, child trauma, emotional child abuse, Family Conflicts, Family Counseling, Family Therapist, Family Therapy, Family trauma, medical neglect, online family therapy, sexual child abuse, trauma, types of child abuse

5 Reasons Why Parents Don’t Discuss Child Sexual Abuse

June 14, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

Child sexual abuse is not going away. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused by the time they are 18, and 44% of rape victims are under age 18. Sadly, but not surprisingly, victims of sexual assault are three times more likely to suffer from depression, 13 times more likely to abuse alcohol, 26 times more likely to abuse drugs, and four times more likely to contemplate suicide according to the Rape and Incest National Network ...read more

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens, Children, Parenting, Sexual Abuse / Trauma Tagged With: #Parenting, advantages of family therapy, child abuse, child sexual abuse, child sexual abuse prevention, child sexual abuse treatment, Family Connection, Family Counseling, family theapy, Family Therapy, Family trauma, how to handle child sexual abuse, online family therapy, why family therapy

Creative Expressive Therapies for Kids and Teens

April 26, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

Life hasn’t been the same for any of us for many months now. As we continue to try and adapt our lives to safely deal with this novel coronavirus, it has taken its toll on many, both financially and emotionally. Kids have been hit particularly hard during this time. At first, many might have thought the idea of no school was “awesome!” But as the weeks rolled on, and they found themselves away from their friends and their routine disrupted, many kids began to feel depressed and anxious about ...read more

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens, Children Tagged With: #creative therapies, #expressive therapies, #familytherapy, #Parenting, 2e, Family Counseling, Family Therapy, family therapy for giftedness, Kids, online counseling, online family therapy, stress of parenting, teens, therapy for teens

At Home Family Physical Fitness Ideas (during COVID-19 and beyond)

April 19, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

Family physical fitness can bring families together. As many families continue to shelter in place together, they are finding it challenging to beat the stress and stay in shape. Exercising as a family is one-way families can accomplish both of these goals! And the good news is, there are plenty of ways families can exercise without the need of going to a public gym. Make Fitness a Game: Take a pack of regular playing cards and turn them into fitness cards. Hearts stand for crunches, clubs ...read more

Filed Under: Sports / Exercise Tagged With: #family fun time, #family physical fitness, #family systems therapy, #family therapy and adoption, #family therapy and gifted students, #family therapy indications, #family therapy near me, #parent education, #Parenting, Family Conflicts, Family Connection, Family Counseling, Family Therapy, gifted students, parent therapy

How Family Therapy Can Help During This Lingering Covid Crisis

March 12, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

It has been almost a year since the world changed with the Covid-19 virus. After months and months of being locked down, many families are experiencing burnout from being forced to be home together so much. Family therapy during covid may be the answer. While the vaccines are being rolled out, we are still getting mixed reports and messages from the media as to when life might return to normal. Some schools have opened, but many have not. Parents are still scrambling to figure out how to make ...read more

Filed Under: Family Therapy, Parenting, Telehealth Tagged With: 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, family therapy sessions, gifted family therapist, gifted parenting, online family therapy, online therapy

Teaching Kids Mindfulness: The Benefits and Easiest Ways to Do It!

February 19, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

“Pay attention!” Teaching kids mindfulness has many benefits. It’s a phrase that is uttered dozens of times a week (if not more) in households where children between the ages of two and 18 reside. How is it that when they WANT to, oh say when they are playing video games or watching cartoons, kids can have a tremendous attention span. But at any other time, getting them to be present is harder than getting them to close the refrigerator door! While getting kids to pay attention can seem ...read more

Filed Under: Children Tagged With: #Parenting, Deep breathing, Family, Family Conflicts, Family Counseling, family therapy for gifted, gifted, grounding, meditation, mindful awareness, mindful parenting, mindfulness, online family therapy, parents, stress of parenting

How to Talk to Your Young Child About the LGBTQIA+ Community

February 12, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

How to talk to your young child about the LGBTQIA+ community is a timely and essential question. As a parent or caregiver, it can be difficult to know the right thing to say when kids question what we deem to be adult topics. Broaching topics of sexuality can be awkward for both parents and kids alike. Yet, it is a necessary conversation to have. When it comes to talking about homosexuality and transgender individuals, children should be given age-appropriate information. This will help them ...read more

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens, Children, LGBTQ Tagged With: #Parenting, Abigail, advantages of family therapy, Counseling for family problems, Family Counseling, family therapy sessions, gifted parenting, LGBTQIA+, LGBTQIA+ Children, LGBTQIA+ Family, LGBTQIA+ Parenting, LGBTQOA+ Community, online family therapy, online therapy, stress of parenting

How to Bring Up Resilient Children

January 29, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

How can parents bring up resilient children? Have you heard the phrase “helicopter parent?” It describes a mother or father that ‘hovers’ around their child 24/7, overseeing their life to keep them from every potential danger, pitfall and mishap. It looks good on paper, but this kind of parenting forgets one important fact of reality: life happens. Adversity happens to all of us. Those children who engage with adversity in their formative years learn how to handle it well and come up with ...read more

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens, Children, Parenting, Resilience, Trauma / PTSD Tagged With: #Parenting, 2e, bring up resilient children, building resilience, Family Counseling, Family Therapist, Family Therapy, family therapy for gifted, family therapy for giftedness, family therapy sessions, gifted parenting, online family therapy, resilience, resilience in families, stress of parenting