Family Therapy 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

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

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

How to Help Your Child Manage Their Anxiety

August 17, 2020 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

For many, childhood is the most wondrous and exciting time in a person’s life. But even when a child is growing in a loving and stable family environment, they can feel fear and anxiety and with Covid-19, childhood anxiety is on the rise. Think back on your childhood. Everything new was something to be not-so-sure of. It was easy to feel a bit anxious on the first day of school or meeting someone for the first time. A child often feels anxious at bedtime, having to go to the doctor or ...read more

Filed Under: Anxiety, Children Tagged With: 2e, ADHD, Anxiety, Anxiety in children, Anxiety in Gifted Children, Anxious Gifted Kids, Anxious kids, Childhood Anxiety, Family Therapy, family therapy for gifted, In-Home Family Therapy, In-Home Family Therapy for Anxiety, Parenting anxious children, parenting gifted children, Twice exceptional and anxious kids

How to Help Children Understand a Parent’s Depression

August 4, 2020 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

Many parents experience clinical depression each year and it can be hard for kids to understand a parent's depression. As if the disease weren’t enough, recognizing its effects on your children can be quite painful. Studies have shown that children of depressed parents are at greater risk of not only developing depression themselves, but also of poor physical health, problems bonding, anxiety, poor self-esteem and aggressive behavior. Of course, different things will determine the severity of ...read more

Filed Under: Depression Tagged With: #Parenting, advantages of family therapy, depression, depression help, depression in children, depression in families, depression in parents, Family Conflicts, Family Connection, Family Therapist, Family Therapy, family therapy for giftedness, family therapy sessions, In-Home Family Therapy, why family therapy

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