Now that school has started again, I thought I’d revisit my blog series about things parents can do to help their child be successful in school. I’m sure most of you are familiar with the advice to limit “screen time.” It is not just TV watching anymore, but we also have video games, smart phones, …Read More
Every Moment Is Precious
Jul 27, 2012
When tragedy strikes, when we lose someone we love, or when we are confronted with our mortality we often experience a renewed appreciation of the things we usually take for granted: the people we love, our health, being alive… All the little things we usually get so worked up about don’t seem to matter so …Read More
Work-Life Balance and (Mental) Health
Jul 15, 2012
Recently an article was published in the Atlantic written by Anne Marie Slaughter about the work-family balance. It is a very thoughtful article in which Dr. Slaughter discusses the struggles many parents face in combining family responsibilities with the demands of a successful career. She raises many issues in the article around the current corporate …Read More
Why Dutch Children Are the Happiest in the World
Jul 3, 2012
A few years ago Unicef did a study about the happiness and wellbeing of children and teens around the world. Recently, the World Health Organization surveyed children and teens of different age groups in countries in Europe and North America. Both studies concluded that children in the Netherlands are the happiest in the world. The …Read More
Running With the Mind of Meditation – Book Recommendation
Jun 27, 2012
We are all familiar with the benefits of regular physical exercise. Physical activity increases our strength, flexibility, stamina, can prevent cancer and heart disease, lower blood pressure, and keep us at a healthy weight. Physical exercise is also a powerful way of reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Many of my clients have benefitted …Read More
Gross Domestic Happiness
Apr 24, 2012
As Dr. Brooks mentioned in his last post, it would be a great idea if countries around the world would start measuring their “Gross Domestic Happiness” instead of the Gross Domestic Product. It so happens that one small Asian country, Bhutan, has already started doing this and inspired the United Nations to adopt a new …Read More
What You Need to Know If Your Child Is Struggling In School
Apr 11, 2012
Much of my work here at the ApaCenter consists of helping students and their families cope with learning disabilities at school and at home. I conduct assessments to diagnose learning disabilities and provide a picture of a student’s strengths and weaknesses, I give recommendations for helping the student be more successful in school, and I …Read More
Remembering What Is Important
Apr 3, 2012
Often we can become very wrapped up in our obligations, such as making money to pay the bills, meeting deadlines, or making a good impression on our managers and colleagues. These things can take up so much of our time and energy that we forget what is really important in life: the meaningful relationships we …Read More
Learned Helplessness
Mar 16, 2012
In my work with children, teens, families, and schools, I often observe the phenomena of learned helplessness. Learned helplessness is when a child loses the confidence that he can solve a problem or perform a task successfully on his own and becomes overly dependent on the assistance of adults. You can recognize the signs of …Read More
Putting Your Own Oxygen Mask on First
Jan 18, 2012
It is sometimes hard to remember when you are a parent that it is also important to take care of yourself and your own needs. Dr. Brooks recently discussed research that suggests that parents’ ability to manage their own stress is one of the top three predictors of positive outcomes for children. So when you …Read More