We all know there is a mental health crisis out there. We have real numbers that highlight elevated rates of anxiety and depression for kids, teenagers, people of color, men, working mothers. The numbers tell the story. The percentages, increases, and statistical significance are all important. Everywhere we go, we are surrounded by data,  as are our children. Their GPA’s, instagram likes, rebounds, SAT Scores, tardies, goals, and more, are all measured and highlighted. “What is measured...

The holiday season is in full swing and for many of us, it all just looks and feels different than when we were kids. Over 40 million Americans have stopped going to church in the last 25 years,  meaning that communal Sundays and structured lessons in forgiveness and giving aren’t as consistent anymore for us and our children. Although many Americans have found other communal organizations to replace church, a lot also haven’t.  The longing for community and organized religion that so many...

Gaining clarity on who we want to be as a person and as a parent feels hard in the confusing world we live in. Do we want to be the parent who’s on their phone all the time or the parent who takes time for connection and does things that make us feel good? The answer is probably a no-brainer but how do we actually live up to this?  Today’s guest on the podcast is Damon Eddy, a transformation coach specializing in helping people move from confusion to clarity and he’s here to share his...

We’re about a month into being back to school and here’s the issue that’s been coming up for me: homework. I was a bit hesitant on releasing an episode on this topic because to be fair, it sounds boring. But I know I’m not the only one struggling with this right now! And luckily, my incredible guest, Lara Dawn, certified teacher and founder of The ADHD Village, knows just how to turn this topic into an interesting conversation! In this episode on homework issues, we cover: The brain...

As high-achieving moms, we’re living hectic lives, reachting to every trigger, thought, text message and notification. How can we be more intentional about our lives as parents going into the new school year? If your first thought is, "I don't have time for that", I completely get it! There's so much pressure on us high-achieving women. But here are the facts: We see a mental health crisis among our children and a burnout crisis among women. If we continue to go with the norms, this is what...

If your kid might apply for college in the next ten years, you want to listen to this one! Margaret is an expert when it comes to supporting kids through the college application process. She has a particularly valuable perspective on how teenagers experience this crazy time and how parents can support them and today she’s sharing her knowledge with us! In today’s episode on supporting your teen through college, we discuss: Why not to rewrite your kid’s college application essay; The three...

Do you ever wonder why your kids are fighting more than usual? Or do you worry about spending way more time with one kid over another?  With all the families I work with, and similarly in my own family, I notice patterns that can lead to difficulties. That’s why today I’m sharing with you some easy family therapy hacks that are going to help with some of the most typical problems families are encountering and that can improve your kid’s mental health! In this episode on improving your kid’s...

Allowing our kids to choose their own path in life and pursue their dreams is a big topic in today’s episode. How would you react if your child tells you they want to become a professional gamer?! That’s exactly what one of Waki's kids chose as his own plan A, and with Waki’s support, that’s exactly what he has achieved.  I'm so excited to share the rest of my conversation with Waki Wynn with you about all things parenting. He’s back with some golden nuggets from his own experiences raising...

Today, we released one of those episodes that is full of knowledge gems and truth bombs for ALL parents out there. My conversation with Waki Wynn, in which he shares his invaluable insights into parenting, is truly one of my favorite conversations ever. We talk about finding your community as a parent, helping our high school boys develop lifelong friendships that will serve them for the rest of their lives, allowing our kids to eventually have their own family that’s healthy and can move...

We all know that animals can have a profound impact on people’s lives. But did you know pets can even promote social and emotional growth in our kids? Children use being with their pets as a very consistent coping skill and as a way to manage their emotions. As a parent, I started to wonder how and why this happens and how I can maximize the opportunities our pets bring into our homes. Today, we have Christine Bowers on the show who is an expert when it comes to animal-assisted therapy....

In just five days, Summer League Swimming season is starting across Virginia! I’m so excited - and not just for myself. The swim team is the most fruitful experience of social and emotional growth for my children I could wish for. Whether you're a pool rat or not at all, in this episode I will share with you what parts of the summer magic at the pool can be useful for you to integrate into parts of your kid’s life, what parts you want to lean into and what parts might just not be a priority...

The skill of listening to our kids' feelings is such an important one for parents. When we listen well to our kids, we reinforce them to talk about their feelings. Besides, when our kids talk about their feelings with us, they are letting us closer to them. They are giving us a gift by allowing us to understand them and to see them. And isn't that what we all want as parents? Despite how important listening is, y’all, it’s also a hard thing to do. So how can we learn this skill? How can we...

It’s May and that means it’s almost swim-team season! With that, I notice the conversation around swimsuits, bodies, and body image coming up in my sessions more and more too. That's why we're-releasing an old episode on the toxic culture we live in around body image. In this episode, Caroline Megargel and I talk with Sarah Lewis from The Lewis Practice about the power we ourselves and our kids have when we start noticing the toxic messages we get around food and bodies.  If you want to be...

The ability to talk about our feelings can literally change our lives. It’s related to having closer relationships, longevity, physical health, stress reduction, and feeling better overall. But it can be complicated! Luckily, it's a skill we can all learn and I spend a lot of time working on this with my clients! In this episode on talking about our feelings, we discuss: Talking about your feelings is a skill you can learn; Why it’s so important to talk about your feelings and the massive...

Today, we’re talking about the basics of screen time. With these tips you will be able to develop a screen time plan that will help your whole family work a little more smoothly. Screen time expectations is one of the things I work most on with families that walk through my door. That’s why we made this episode part of our Therapy Greatest Hits series, in which we share the tips we as therapist use most. Because in the end, all families go through the same things. We hope these tips will...

We're SO EXCITED to share with you that Virginia Family Therapy has now become Active & Connected Family Therapy! It's been a long process and we're so proud of what we've build over the years!  In today's episode, Caroline and I talk about the reasons behind the name change and what this new name means to us. You’ll also hear about how we started Virginia Family Therapy years ago, which is a funny and crazy story! Thank you so much for listening and all of the support. We are truly...

Today, we’re starting our mini-series on the greatest therapy hits with the #1 thing I talk to parents about, no matter what their reason for coming into my office. Whether it’s because their kid is having meltdowns, is feeling depressed, worries a lot, has difficulty following directions, … The very first thing I talk to the parents about is increasing the quality and frequency of the time we spend with our kids, i.e. strategies to enhance quality time. How do we as busy parents, with lots...

Today we’re starting a series on our greatest hits and the tips and strategies we as therapists talk to parents the most about. We say the same things over and over again because so many of us struggle with the same things and I'm going to share them with you during the upcoming weeks!   In this rewind episode, Sarah Lewis from The Lewis Practice, Caroline and I talk about how and why parents should be talking to their kids about their OWN feelings. This is probably contrary to what you see...

Let’s talk about setting boundaries today. Because I know setting boundaries is something so many people, especially women, struggle with. And I’m certainly one of them. Today’s guest Meg Allan Cole is an expert in the field of going from people pleaser to setting healthy boundaries and I’m so excited to share her insights with you. She struggled with a chronic illness for the last 5-10 years and woke up and figured out what her priorities in life are. She realized that in order to honor...

Let's talk about the importance of trying new things in your 40s and reflect on how doing so can really change our lives! Karen Murray’s story is an incredible example of how trying something new in your 40s can change your life. She ran her first marathon at the age of 46. Now, ten years later, she’s run 314 of them! Her story shows us that just a little bit of courage in taking a small step can truly make us happier and healthier and give our life meaning as we get older. In this episode...

Parents are still experiencing burnout after the pandemic. For those of you who are in your 40’s, like me, this burnout is coinciding with a very natural increase in depression that hits most of us around this age. This shows how important it is for us to be proactive about how we’re managing our stress! Today, I’m talking to Dr. Erik Korem, who’s a sports scientist, entrepreneur, podcast host of The Blueprint, and father of three. We’ll discuss what parents can learn from athletes about...

Raising feminist men is now more important than ever. I want my boys to push back against patriarchy AND at the same time feel proud of who they are as boys. If you are like me, and you are raising boys and identify as a feminist, this episode is for you! I’ll start this episode by sharing some tips I’ve been mulling over for the past few years. Then, I’ll be joined by Erin Spahr, LCPC, to talk more about what it means to raise boys as a feminist. Erin’s mission is to challenge the...

Now that we have a better understanding of why it is so hard for boys to talk about feelings, let’s dive into what we can do to help our boys talk about their emotions. I’m continuing the conversation with Matt Browning, who shares actionable strategies for helping our boys verbally express their feelings more easily. So how do we go about this? What are some actionable tactics to help our boys? And when is actually the right time to talk about this? Matt has all the answers in today’s...

We're continuing the conversation about raising boys with another guest expert. Together with Matt Browning, Licensed Professional Counselor at Virginia Family Therapy, we'll dive deeper into the topic of why it is so hard for our kids who identify as boys to talk about their feelings. In this episode on why it's hard for boys to talk about their feelings, we cover: The biological reasons why boys experience difficulty talking about their emotions; The social influences that make it hard...