By Lauren Schneider, MSW, LCSW Introduction For very young children For adolescents Introduction One of the most challenging types of loss a bereavement counselor or therapist will be faced with is that of a family dealing with a death by suicide. Each...
parenting / families
How to Help Your Child Cope With a Bully
By Lynn Hagan, PsyD, CTRL, LCSW Introduction In handling bullies, parent's must keep in mind that they not only have to protect their child, but also make sure that their child is able to "save face" on the playground. Clearly, there are some things to avoid in...
Grandparents as Parents
By Sylvie de Toledo, LCSW, BCD, and Deborah Elder Brown I live with my grandma because my mom left me on a hotel bench to go get a cup of coffee. You're not supposed to leave babies by theirselves. - Erica, age seven Late one Saturday night the phone call came: Leah...
10 Questions Adopted Kids Ask, 10 Ways to Celebrate Your Adopted Child
Here is a list of questions that adopted children often ask their parents as well as ways to celebrate adoption and family.
12 Tips for Divorcing Parents
Here are some things that divorcing parents should bear in mind about their changing family dynamic and everyone’s well being.
Emotional Dynamics of Parenting a Child With Special Needs
By Lydia Abrams, MSW, LCSW Many parents and primary caregivers of children with special needs are faced with unexpected challenges and emotions. However, they are not alone. Although their individual experiences may differ, many parents/primary caregivers have similar...
Marital health when parenting a child with special needs
This article invites you to consider several ideas and perspectives for “necessary” risking and shares the experiences and wisdom from couples with whom I’ve been privileged to work.
Support for Siblings of Sick Children
Introduction Age Gender Birth Order Help for Siblings Introduction Children who are chronically ill or disabled require so much of their parents' time and energy that the remaining children in the family may be left to cope with emotional turmoil on their own. Many...
Grieving Parents and Their Risk for Substance Abuse
Introduction Recognizing Complicated Grief Increased Risk of Substance Use and Abuse Interventions to Consider Grief Counseling Introduction The death of a child is an unfathomable loss that creates a personal, psychological, and often spiritual crisis for...
Questions to ask when choosing a child care center
By Joanne Baum, PhD, MSW Text reprinted from Dr. Baum's book, "Respectful Parenting: From Birth Through the Terrific Twos" A child care center should not just be a place where you drop off your child in the morning and pick him up in the evening, kind of like a...
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Recent Articles
Ask a Social Worker: My son is threatening suicide
At the beginning of the pandemic, my son, who dropped out of college, became really withdrawn. He is now threatening to commit suicide. We called a hotline and they suggested family therapy. But my partner, his father, doesn’t believe him. He thinks he’s manipulating...
Ask a Social Worker: My Boss is a Bully
I’m an IT professional who works mainly from home, especially during the pandemic. My boss has become very demanding. He sends emails early before work, saying he wants to make sure I login on time. He will email me throughout the weekend about assignments, even those...
Ask a Social Worker: How can I help my child overcome her fear of dogs?
My 14-year-old daughter is fearless and reckless. She charges down the soccer field like there is no tomorrow and plays basketball with her two older brothers, who are a head taller than she is. I admire that; I was shy at her age. But she is deathly afraid of dogs....