Child Psychiatrist
Middle Schooler’s Struggle with COVID
Q: My daughter is struggling. The new Zoom structure at LPMS is a huge adjustment. She’s moody, cranky, crying all the time. She was sensitive before but now she’s beside herself. She’s lethargic, has nightmares, worries excessively. She frets about my leaving the house, afraid I’m going to get Covid. She freaks out about tracking…
Role Play Groups
Q: Our son had a hard time making solid friendships in elementary school. We were hopeful this year’s change to middle school, and all the new kids that would involve, would result in a fresh opportunity at developing his posse. Unfortunately with Covid and 100% virtual schooling, all of those plans have been scuttled. We…
Struggles with Kindergarten Remote Learning
Q: Last spring my daughter was in kindergarten when COVID hit. Her teacher was accessible and did her best to provide meaningful online learning, but mostly it was a stressful, difficult, emotionally draining experience. There was lots of tantruming, “stomach aches,” melting off of chairs, and other forms of non-cooperation. I am dreading this September;…
What’s the Connection Between Attachment Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder?
What is Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD)? An ODD is a complex and serious disorder that is diagnosed in about 10% of children seen by a mental health professional. Kids with this disorder are typically argumentative, irritable, angry, and (occasionally) vindictive to an extent not seen in the average rebellious child, and the behavior is seen…
Playdate Gone Wrong
Originally published in our Laudable Life advice column in the Lakelands Leader Q: Last week my daughter and I had the worst playdate ever! She’s two and a half and an only child. She likes other children but sometime she can get anxious or shy around them and sometimes she has trouble sharing. Probably all…
Should we let our son play tackle football?
Q: My son plays flag football, which I’ve been okay with, but now that he’s about to start high school, he wants to try out for the school’s tackle football team. I know this isn’t the NFL, but I can’t stop thinking about the risks involved, like concussions, and how they can lead to CTE. My…
Nervous About Going to Camp
Originally Published in the Lakelands Leader in our advice column The Laudable Life Q: We’re planning to send our son to camp for the last two weeks of July and he’s anxious about going. He’s always been a little socially awkward and he’s worried about fitting in and making friends. I don’t want to force…
What’s My Role in My Daughters Eating Disorder Care?
Originally published in the Lakelands Leader in our advice column The Laudable Life. Q: A few months ago, my daughter was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. She went through in-patient treatment and is now working with her therapist twice a week. She is also meeting with her pediatrician and nutritionist but I am still worried because…
When Your Child Doesn’t Want To Hug Grandma (or other adults)
Q: My four-year-old child is extremely shy and retreats when relatives try to hug or kiss her at greetings and departures. I’m afraid my daughter is coming across as rude or unloving, or that I look like an overly indulgent parent because I am not making her do it. Sometimes they say things that suggest…
When ADHD Makes Homework Time Hell
Q: I need help getting my child to focus on school work. I have tried helping him myself throughout the school year. Unfortunately, he is constantly distracted by something and needs help sitting still for even five minutes. He was recently diagnosed with ADHD, and I’m starting to think that label is taking his motivation…
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.