Blog
Why Limiting Smartphones and AI in Middle School Is Worth the Fight
As parents, we all know how quickly childhood changes, especially during the middle school years. Although learning to navigate a bigger school and multiple teachers grabs our attention, under the surface, quietly, the refinement of social skills, the development of identity, and the management of emotions take center stage for them. New research shows that…
How ACT Helps with Anxiety and Panic Attacks
At Kentlands Psychotherapy, we meet many people who struggle with anxiety and panic attacks. These experiences can feel overwhelming—your heart races, your breath shortens, you feel dizzy, or you might have numbness or tingling in your fingers and toes, you might feel nauseous, and your thoughts often spiral. It’s very common that the first time…
Can AI Help Me Stay On Task?
Many of us with ADHD, or even those with ADHD-like tendencies, are also creative and enthusiastic individuals who possess an incredible capacity to hyperfocus on projects we are passionate about—until we lose the thread. Usually, it is because another of life’s demands requires us to shift gears, but for whatever reason, we must pause our…
Are You Asking About AI Use?
A Case For Asking Every Mental Health Client About Their Chatbot Use Over the years, I’ve witnessed several versions of our evolving digital landscape that are shaping patients’ lives. In the early 2000s, I was an expert witness in a court case where an individual had developed an eBay auction “addiction.” He was compulsively bidding…
The Gen Z Stare Is Real. It’s a Problem. And It’s Largely Our Fault.
Have you all been following TikTok’s so-called “Gen Z stare?” We need to see this as something more than a passing internet fad. We need to take it seriously. The vacant, slightly contemptuous, silent stare when spoken to isn’t just rude, it’s a sign of a serious, larger issue. Researchers are seeing similar behaviors: decreased…
Why We Take Our Time With Intake at Kentlands Psychotherapy
At Kentlands Psychotherapy, we believe the very first step in therapy—the intake process—sets the tone for everything that follows. Research consistently shows that the quality of the therapeutic alliance, the relationship between therapist and client, is the single strongest predictor of success in therapy, even more than the type of therapy used. That’s why we…
Can ChatGPT Be My Therapist?
Psychologists and other mental health professionals are deep in the weeds debating the differences between people using an AI tool for something akin to therapy and engaging in traditional psychotherapy with a trained and licensed human. From my perspective, we’re driving this debate from two disparate agendas. One is the need to protect the public….
Why Mental Health Scales So Poorly for Venture Capitalists
I’ve been watching a pattern repeat itself in mental health startups, and I think we need to talk about it. Private equity and VC-backed mental health companies promise clinicians the moon: ✔️ Better rates from insurers ✔️ Admin support for clinicians ✔️ Flexible hours ✔️ More access for clients ✔️ Scalable growth for investors ✔…
What Freya India Gets Right—and Wrong—About Girls’ Mental Health
The Digital Age’s Impact on Girls’ Mental Health By Dr. Elizabeth Carr, Founder, Kentlands Psychotherapy Freya India, pop culture influencer, has quickly become one of the most compelling and insightful cultural critics writing about the mental health crisis among young women and girls. Her voice is urgent, passionate, and clearly attuned to the social and…
Five Things Your Teen Daughter Wants You to Know
“Mom…I am listening (as my eyes are darting back and forth between my text messages, the watermelon game, and social media).” I feel like this interaction happens between my mom and me almost daily. Can you relate? Teen girls are in a beautiful, complicated phase of life. We’re growing into who we are and,…
It's not an easy time to be a kid. Perhaps it never is, but now it's especially true. Let us help you understand and support your child's needs.
Is your teen struggling with school, in their relationships with friends, with you? Do they seem irritable, withdrawn, unmotivated, sad? Our therapist know how to help.
Are you looking to make some aspect of your otherwise good relationship better? Maybe you’ve tried all the strategies that make sense to you.