Over the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of speaking at barns, tack shops, and equestrian events across New Jersey and beyond about a topic close to my heart: mental health support for riders. There are many lessons to be learned in spending time speaking with other equestrians about mental health. The eye opening […]
Competitive athletes are trained to push—physically, mentally, and emotionally. You’re expected to perform under pressure, recover quickly, and stay mentally “strong,” typically while carrying other workloads, such as academics, or upcoming life transitions like next steps after high school. What doesn’t get talked about enough is how past experiences—missed routines, injuries, coaching moments, or pressure-filled […]
Have you heard of the grief analogy about a ball in a box? Imagine life as a box. Inside this box are two things: a pain buzzer and a ball of grief. When we first experience loss, that ball is big and heavy and it may feel like it is always pressed up against that […]
When you open social media, you are likely expecting to catch up with your friends and family. Maybe you’re looking for a distraction or searching for a laugh in the form of funny animal videos. But lately, instead of dogs doing silly tricks or wholesome posts from your loved ones, more tragic news and video […]
Welcome to the final installment of our series on supporting neurodivergent children through puberty. In Parts 1 and 2, we explored the unique challenges puberty presents for neurodivergent youth and the foundational strategies for proactive communication, education, and boundary-setting. Now, we turn to what happens when the journey gets rocky—how to support your child through […]
Welcome back to our series on supporting neurodivergent children through puberty. In Part 1, we explored the fundamental changes that occur during puberty—from the biological processes driving physical development to the complex social landscape shifts that most teens navigate. We examined how these universal experiences can present unique challenges for neurodivergent youth, including amplified sensory […]
A Journey Back in Time Before we dive into supporting our children, I invite you to take a moment and close your eyes. Think back to your own experience of puberty. Can you remember the intense mood swings that seemed to come out of nowhere? The desperate desire to fit in with your peers? The […]
There is such a wide range of the kinds of grief we experience in life. If you’ve experienced grief before, you might recognize and name those old, familiar feelings when they resurface. However, for those who haven’t experienced grief before, it can be confusing, scary, and lonely. The truth is grief shows up in many […]
When we think of grief, we often think of it as something that happens after we lose someone. However, we can feel grief before the loss ever happens. Anticipatory grief, or the grief we feel before an actual loss is incredibly common, but rarely talked about and often overlooked. For some, they may not even […]
Has this ever happened to you…. Today was a horrible day. Traffic into work was dreadful, that same person took your parking spot, again, and now your boss is breathing down your neck. So you do what you do, you reach out to your person. You tell them what a horrible day you are having. […]
Finding Support Through Life’s Changes with a NJ Licensed Counselor “Don’t ever change.” How many of us, if we flipped through our high school yearbooks, would find someone wrote this to us? The irony isn’t lost on me—could you imagine NOT changing from your high school self? I once had a former student approach me […]
Teens and Social Media Adolescence is a significant period of development where teens are going through physical, emotional, cognitive, and social changes. Forming social connections and developing relationships are a crucial part of identity formation and building a sense of belonging. This fosters social and emotional well-being. But, if identity formation is strongly shaped by […]
Insight From a NJ Teen Therapist As a parent of a teen athlete, you know how much their sport means to them. It’s more than a physical activity—it’s a source of identity, social connection, confidence, and purpose. So when an injury happens, it doesn’t just affect their body. It can deeply impact their emotional wellbeing, […]
Insight from a Child Therapist in Branchburg NJ Picture this: Your child is in the midst of an overwhelming meltdown. You’ve tried everything – reasoning, distracting, even pleading – but nothing seems to help. As their emotions escalate, you feel your own frustration rising, leaving you exhausted and wondering if you’re doing something wrong. As […]
It’s no secret that uncomfortable situations in a family are difficult, or even impossible, to unpack . Some families choose not to discuss the uncomfortable or difficult things they have experienced. On the other hand, some families choose to work with a professional, like a family therapist, to improve family dynamics and ease conflict. This […]