A coping skill I frequently teach to my teens and kids is the 5-4-3-2-1 method; which reminds them to use their 5 senses (seeing, touching, hearing, smelling, and tasting) to calm them down when their feeling anxious, angry, depressed, or just want to be present in the moment. To keep this Fall Favorites list kind of interesting and to add my own therapeutic spin to it, I’m going to follow this same pattern.

As a parent, you’re going through each day doing the best you can, juggling school, sports, after school activities, hours of homework…just trying to hold it all together, and then it seems to hit you out of nowhere….you either notice a behavior that really concerns you, your child’s teacher calls and tells you that your kid is struggling in school and acting out, or a close friend suggests you take them to a counselor. You see it and you hear it, but then you freeze…now what??

Identifying and working with students who have been traumatized can be challenging for educators because kids and teens often hide their pain with behavior that’s aggressive or off-putting — they are typically the students who are labeled the “bad kids.” Knowing the symptoms of trauma in kids and teens can help educators understand these confusing behaviors and can help avoid misdiagnosis, as these symptoms can mimic other problems, including ADHD and other behavior disorders.

“Help! My child’s teacher is saying he has ADHD.” The start of a new school year inevitably brings the question that every therapist has heard before: "Does my child have ADHD?" I want to start by saying that Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a very real diagnosis, but hyperactivity and not focusing can also be the result of a child who is anxious, depressed, traumatized or stressed.

When kids go away to school, they still have so much to learn and it can be really scary, as a parent, to let go to let them learn, but it’s a critical time in their life and their development. They’re “technically” and legally an adult at 18 and we know the next several years of college are going to be where they begin to figure this adult-life out. I’m sure it’s a tough week for you and I want to give you a few suggestions on how to navigate this first year in between your sob fests and victory dances that most college kids will never see. So grab the tissues, grab your wine, and set aside Life 360; here’s 5 steps to sending your child off to college:

As I started to share with you in the last post, my dream to work with kids began a long time ago when I was 6-year old determined to become a first grade teacher. From a young age, I did my best to tailor every experience to somehow become better equipped to reach this goal of mine, which led me through a rollercoaster of job experiences; starting with being a “mother’s helper” in my early teenage years; to babysitting and nannying (which were THE BEST high school and college jobs!); to working at Gymboree Play & Music, creating lesson plans that I had to sing to parents and their kids (this ideally would’ve been a great job, but I learned early on that I was not called to be a singer and it was 10 times more embarrassing having to sing to a room full of adults). From there, I landed a job at a gym daycare that I kept for most of college while also juggling school work and nannying. All that being said, for those who don’t know me as a therapist or don’t know me at all, here’s a glimpse into who I am as a therapist and what I believe:  

There’s a million things that make me, me, but I’ll try to give you the brief low down on Lauren Yearego, wife, friend, daughter and sister as well as Lauren Yearego, MA, LPC, CTP-C so hopefully you can leave here knowing that yes, I am a therapist, but I am also very much a human, just like all of you; I have highs and lows, strengths and challenges, tears and smiles, and yes I even like pizza and ice cream…and pickles (I absolutely love pickles!) 

3 Common Adolescent Behaviors That Prove It’s Not Your Fault

Teenagers go through a lot of developmental changes between the ages of 12 and 18 that are necessary for their growth. In counseling, I frequently meet with the worried parents of a teenager, telling me how their kid is acting disrespectful, selfish, or moody. I’ve narrowed down the following three normal teenage behaviors that prove it’s not your fault.

It is important to talk to our kids about safety; and not just the typical “stranger danger” or “wait 30 minutes after eating to swim,” but talking to them about body safety, being aware of uncomfortable feelings, and knowing where to go if they feel unsafe. As parents, it is impossible to be with our kids 24/7, but hopefully with these 3 safety tips, we can have a fun and safe summer: