Dysnomia: What It Is and How to Help

When a person has Dysnomia, it means that they have difficulty in accessing names for visual information. It occurs in up to 20% of individuals. It runs in families and tends to be more common in males than females. It can make it difficult to name things like colors, objects, numbers, and letters. Dysnomia can also make it hard to label visual information.

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Parent Burnout

Parent Burnout Is Real, Yet Treatable

Parent Burnout Is Real, Yet Treatable Parent burnout is real. It often starts small, and can lead to impairment in a parent’s ability to complete their responsibilities towards their children. It can make it difficult to balance work, social, and family aspects of your life. Unfortunately, if a parent feels distress, the children will too. […]

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Holding lights in winter

Self-Care During the Winter Months

Changes in season can be really hard, particularly following many (too many) months of a global pandemic. For some, transitioning into winter can bring happy and enjoyable feelings. However, for others, this transition can also prompt feelings of overwhelm or dread, as we move towards colder weather, holiday planning, and staying inside more. Every year, […]

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Holding cat

Mental Health and Self-Care When You’re Sick

Chances are that you or someone you know has gotten sick in the last month. As we lead into the new year, with frigid temperatures and a return to routine (school and work), it’s likely that there will be more waves of viruses and colds moving through. Getting sick often involves all parts of our […]

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Uncertainty in the Midst of Corona Virus

Corona virus concerns seem to be everywhere: the television, the internet, the news, and our homes. Our children are out of school, and our college students are likely home early. And it seems like there are no clear answers or ways to help. These concerns represent a lot of uncertainty, and as a result, cause us a lot of stress.

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Catching Snowflakes on Tongue

Family Stress and the Holidays

The holidays are coming…. When you hear that phrase, does it strike fear and panic? Does it remind you of family stress? Or does it bring up warm memories of time with your family, eating pie or other goodies in front of a warm fire? If you are like most people, you probably have mixed […]

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Kindness

5 Things to Know about Kindness

……We all want to believe that we are good people, and that we contribute well to our communities. Acts of kindness and giving, even small gestures, validate these lovely parts of ourselves. What better way to feel like a kind and loving person than through small little actions that put more good out into the world……..

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Girl using tablet in school class smiling to camera close up

ADHD: Basic Facts and Information

Luckily a wide variety of very effective treatment options are available to people with ADHD.

Treatment options range from therapy, adaptive approaches, lifestyle strategies and medications. If the ADHD interferes with a child’s school functioning, schools are required to make accommodations for students with ADHD. Adults may be able to request assistance at their place of employment. Usually a combination of approaches is more successful than any one alone.

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Mindfulness Nature

Mindfulness with Nature

Read this article to learn more about how to use mindfulness through nature. Mindfulness in Action I turned the corner at the Iowa Arts Festival, and saw picture after picture of nature: raw, beautiful, and unique. “Oh, look at how cool these are,” I said to my son. “What’s so cool?” asked a voice behind […]

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7 Absolutes for Good Self-Care if You or a Family Member Has Anxiety

Many people have anxiety or a child or family member who is anxious. It might be that there is a history of worrying or stress. Maybe the person avoids doing things that are scary, like approaching dogs, making speeches, or driving. Maybe the person tends to be overly careful or repetitive about hand-washing or cleaning. If the anxiety is distressing to the person, or interferes with the way s/he wants to live her life, she may be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are common, and recent research has found that 1 in 3 people are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.

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Self-Care and Self-Compassion Improves Parenting

Self-compassion is an important part of parenting children and adolescents.  A few years ago, the Washington Post published an article called “Teaching Children Self-Compassion by Modeling it Ourselves” by Mandy Lange.  The article addresses the idea that children learn how to respond to their difficulties, stressors, and mistakes through their own experiences, and through what […]

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Girls Playing in the Surf

Appreciating Summer with Your Children

Summer can be a magical time for families, full of long, sun-soaked days, swimming at the pool, and gentle memories….summer CAN be enjoyable, even if plans don’t work out the way we thought they would. Here are a few suggestions which may be helpful.

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