Challenges in the Transition to Middle School

The mother was concerned about her daughter. She had become anxious and was having trouble falling asleep for the past week. In addition, her daughter had been experiencing nightmares. All of the difficulties seemed to be due to her daughter starting 6th grade and beginning middle school. Anxiety about entering middle school is common as…

Helping Children Cope with Terrorism

The media coverage of the terrorism attack was all encompassing. It was on television, social media, news websites and even YouTube. It was hard to escape the video taken of the attack and the immediate aftermath. The seven year old boy was starting to worry that such an attack could happen in his town. He…

The Bright Side About Teens

It seems that growing up these days is an increasingly dangerous endeavor according to media reports. A few examples of these concerns include; devastating effects of bullying in schools, drug use among teens, increasing prevalence of cyberbullying and sexting, and rising rates of depression among a lonely generation. Pay attention to the various media headlines…

Teasing and Bullying in Grade School

The mother had a sense something was wrong when her second grader came home from school and threw his backpack angrily into a corner. She gently encouraged him to tell her what was wrong. Her son said, “Billy said I was the slowest kid in class in getting my math done even though I am…