Ask the Therapist
True Confessions of a Dyslexic…
A dyslexic head of school?? Surprised? You shouldn’t be, but most folks are. The perception of dyslexia in society is one of people crippled by the inability to spell, read, or write. In fact, ask someone what dyslexia is, and they might say something like “switching ‘d’ for ‘b’.” While this perception may have some…
Read MoreHow to Teach Problem-Solving (to a Kinder or a Teen or Anyone in Between!)
As parents and teachers, we hate to see our kids struggle with problems. So when they come to us for help, our natural reaction is to do just that–help them find solutions to their problems. Too often, however, we give into our helpful nature (and desire not to see those we care about suffer in…
Read MoreBe 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…
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