236 E. Foothill Blvd., Suite C | Arcadia, CA 91006
(626) 755-4059 | sabigail@protonmail.com

S. Abigail McCarrel, LCSW, DCSW

The Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 on Families

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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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

4 Exercises to Help Teach Young Children Mindfulness

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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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

4 Fun Activities for You & Your ADHD Child

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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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

5 Ways to Get Your Teenager to Talk to You

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It's tough to get teens talking to parents. Science has shown that the teenager's brain has yet to fully develop the frontal cortex, which is the area that controls our ability to reason, and to think before we act. As your teen's brain develops, they're also learning new things about themselves and their surrounding world; simultaneously, they're dealing with hormonal changes out of their control. For all of these reasons and more, it can be difficult to find ways to talk to your teen, or to ...read more

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

5 Amazing Outcomes that Can Come from Family Therapy

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 The Coronavirus Crisis Make Family Stress Worse: Amazing family therapy outcomes are possible in this time of pandemic crisis. If you are struggling more than usual with worry for your family right now, you are not alone. Even if you or a loved one have not been personally affected by the virus, you may feel like you are sitting in wait for the other shoe to drop. So many of us are worried about getting infected. You may fear that germs can be transmitted via surfaces, clothing, food or ...read more

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4 Things You Need to Know About Adolescent Anxiety

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Adolescent anxiety is like fire: It can keep us safe and warm, or completely devastate our property and our lives. It’s good to be a little anxious at times. When walking down a deserted street at night, anxiety keeps us on alert and ready to fight or take flight should a dangerous situation arise. But for many people, especially adolescents, anxiety can become the norm instead of the exception. Just walking into a classroom or being with a group of people they don’t know can become crisis ...read more

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