Many people will have an instance or a long-standing campaign in which they manipulate another to gain something in return. This may occur in our childhood years when we feel upset, as well as throughout adulthood, such as during separation and divorce. While most people may feel bad when they manipulate others for their own […]

During this unprecedented period of global uncertainty, it is helpful to remember that it is completely normal to be experiencing a wide range of emotions. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a shock for all of us and has tested our ability to manage stress and cope with challenging situations that constantly change and ask different […]

Anxiety is the intense, and oftentimes overwhelming, feeling of being worried, afraid, or nervous. At some point in our lives, we’ve all felt anxious and it is normal to feel some anxiety in certain situations, such as having to take a test or giving a presentation. A little anxiety can sometimes even motivate us to […]

  Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are two primary eating disorders (ED) that can lead to fatal outcomes. 4 females out of every 100 experience an ED in the United States, which typically affects females between the ages of 13-25. Parents need to be informed that the typical symptoms of ED involve restrictive food intake, […]

  Most parents, teachers, or caregivers have been in a situation where a child is unhappy and is having a difficult time accepting the reality of what just happened. The child might try to negotiate, argue, complain (“It’s not fair!”), sulk, act out, or respond in any number of non-helpful ways. By behaving in a […]

What if I told you that there was a way that could help you feel more mindful, more compassionate towards others, and more connected to others? And what if you could also feel a greater sense of life satisfaction and happiness, and be less depressed, less anxious, and less stressed? Self-compassion involves treating yourself the […]

Getting the right mental health diagnosis not only impacts your ability to achieve psychological wellness, but can have profound consequences as it relates to treatment recommendations. Often times, individuals present with a variety of symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety, confused thinking, mood instability, anger, substance addiction, etc.) and if not carefully assessed, can result in an […]

You may have heard the term “executive functioning” among parents, teachers, and seen it on the internet. It may seem like a new trend, but actually, psychologists and neuropsychologists have been studying and finding ways to measure these skills for decades. So what are executive functions? They are a group of highly interrelated skills that […]

We all deal with stress from the moment the alarm goes off to the time our head reaches the pillow at night. Stress is around us 24-7 – even our dreams can be stressful! It is one of those experiences that can build up over time, or hit us in a flash from an unexpected […]

As a psychologist, I am fascinated by the perplexity of human behavior, especially when we do things that don’t help us or those we love. The truth is, a great deal of the things we do (and don’t do) on a moment-by-moment basis are completely outside our immediate consciousness. These autopilot actions involve a cognitive […]

Our Cognition is our thought process and our thoughts have EVERYTHING to do with our feeling and doing (behaviors). Changing one’s way of thinking in order to change how we feel and the choices we make can be challenging. Our cognition is created over time through what we are told or shown in our environment. […]

Psychiatry Northwest Adjusting to major life changes, such as moving to a new community, starting a new job, transferring to a new school, etc., can be very difficult to adjust to and keep your head above water. Even when changes are good ones, such as starting a new relationship, landing that promotion at work, a […]

Northwest Family Psychology For parents of students who receive special education (SPED) services through their local school district, annual meetings to discuss your child’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) can feel monotonous and unimportant. In fact, the accuracy and appropriateness of the IEP is vitally important – it might be the difference between your child’s academic […]

As a parent, have you ever felt overwhelmed dealing with your child’s power struggles, defiance, attacks, or bullying behavior? Ever wondered what would help motivate your child or help them complete tasks without a fight? Unfortunately, today’s issues are more unique…

Dr. John Gottman, Ph.D., author of the Seven Principles
for Making Marriage Work and creator of The Sound Marital House theory asserts that there are four behaviors that when left unchecked in a relationship predict whether a couple will stay together or separate/divorce…

Let’s face it, adolescents are at a completely different developmental stage than children. This can pose many challenges to both parents and teachers. In reviewing this article, many things ring true with my own experience with parenting two teenage boys, as well as…