Posts by Sheila LeGrand, LMHC
Be Your Authentic Self
By 2005, when Angela Merkel became the first female chancellor of Germany, she had already amassed years of successful leadership at different levels of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany. She had nothing to prove. However, a tabloid scandal about wardrobe choices early in her tenure might have doubled her resolve that she would not…
Read MoreThat’s a “NO” for me
A colleague who had become a first-time mother once regaled me and other coworkers, during lunch, with the amazing exploits of her new baby. Like many new parents, each and every moment of her child’s first year seemed crystallized in her memory. We couldn’t help but be held in rapt attention by her tales. One…
Read MoreThe best self-care costs little to nothing
Self-Care is a booming industry currently valued at upwards of $450 billion. With endless offerings of practices and products promising health and wellness, it is impossible not to feel neglected if one doesn’t have a self-care budget. In fact, in 2018, the average American is said to have spent $199 on self-care expenses each month. …
Read MoreCoping with loneliness through solitude
“Solitude is impracticable, and society fatal.” Ralph Waldo Emerson In an episode of the TV show Gilmore Girls from the early 2000s, Alexis Bleidel’s character, Rory Gilmore, gets caught up in a scandal for breaking into her school with a group of girls in the middle of the night as part of a hazing ritual.…
Read MoreThe Fight Is Real
Uncharacteristically boisterous laughter echoed off the walls of my largely empty office on a fateful Monday afternoon as my young student regaled me with his latest epiphany: “Y’all’s fight must be real!” He had arrived in my office despondent and perturbed. His petite frame, always in motion, was especially restless that afternoon. Although he wasn’t initially…
Read MoreBack to school again
It seems only just a few months ago that we posted a set of tips for back to school. Yet here we are again heading into a new school year, only this time the situation couldn’t be any more different. The pandemic has forced adjustments in every facet of our lives. The fabric of our…
Read MoreMother of Black Sons
Last Memorial Day, while most were celebrating the holiday with a well-needed break from COVID-confinement, I announced to my children that they would be catching up on all the assignments that remained missing on their Google classroom logs. After some complaining, they each picked the easiest assignment they could find and went to work. My…
Read MoreSpeaking of Mental Health, Part 2
The efficacy of psychotherapy as treatment for a wide variety of conditions is well-established. It is also a natural partner, along with psychopharmacology, in the treatment of serious mental illness and addiction. Still, lots of misconceptions persist in the general population about what counseling is and how it works. In fact, while mental health services…
Read MoreSomeone should say something…
Stuck at home with a teenager you don’t recognize? You successfully avoided each other for the first month, but as confinement drags out beyond 30 days, things are starting to feel awkward. If you’re one of the lucky parents of an emotionally intelligent teen–one who knows how to get his or her needs met in…
Read MoreTips for Managing the “New Normal”
The Covid-19 pandemic is forcing every level of our society to reexamine its priorities, while exposing the good, the bad and the ugly of our true selves. After now two full weeks of modified lockdown, tolerance is wearing thin across the board. While images of themed soirees, virtual adventures and formal dinners were popping up…
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