Emotional Wellness
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Under the Weight of Expectations
Everyone needs help from time to time—even the people who seem to have everything going for them. Sometimes, it is especially the ones who do well at school/work, the ones who don’t make a fuss, the ones who mask their symptoms well who need your time and care. I work with a wonderful and growing…
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Root Causes of Problems at School
When kids encounter difficulties at school, it’s not always due to academic issues. Often, behavior problems are the root cause of their struggles. Students might disrupt the class, become withdrawn, or skip school altogether. To assist these students, schools utilize a tool called Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) to identify and understand problematic behaviors and to…
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Navigating the Candy Shop of Therapy: Finding the Right Therapist in a Sea of Choices
If you’ve ever been to an ice cream shop or a candy store, you know how hard it is to pick just one treat out of the many options. For me, and probably for many of you, finding the right therapist feels just as overwhelming. In today’s digital age, the variety of therapists—from cognitive-behavioral to…
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Understanding Emotional Dysregulation in Looked-After Children: A Caregiver’s Perspective
What started as a fun karaoke night turned into one of the saddest tales I’ve ever experienced. The lyrics felt so sad and hopeless, and for the first time, I saw them without the masks they often wore. They let their guard down, and I felt the pain they had been trying to cover for…
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Stand Up Against Smothering Anxiety
I’ve had some anxiety growing up—the stress of exams and ever-growing workload—but never to a point where it prevented me from sleeping or other physical ailments. Actually, that’s me in denial. I have TMJ and acid reflux periodically, but stress and anxiety have become so prevalent in our society that we accept them as the…
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The Role of Expectation Management in Success
At its core, expectation management is about aligning hopes with reality. We’re taught to manage customers’ or employees’ expectations so they don’t become unwieldy, but the goal isn’t to settle for mediocrity; instead, it’s about being mutually transparent about what is realistically achievable. Managing expectations is a vital skill that can make the difference between…
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Are you biased and making assumptions?
These are trick questions. Of course, you are. We all make assumptions, mostly subconsciously and automatically. They are mental shortcuts for our brains to help us learn and navigate the endless complexities of social interaction and decision-making in life. Assumptions are based on our past experiences or cultural influences, and Because they are different, we…
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People Danger is Real
The rat race starts young now! And it’s easy to get caught up in it. As a parent of college-bound teens, I live the frenzy that often results from students (and parents) thinking that the rest of their lives are dictated by their college acceptance letters. High-achieving teens aim, at the very minimum, to maintain…
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Advancing Behavioral Healthcare through VR & Machine Learning: A Conversation with Dr. Marc Lanovaz
In this riveting interview, we have Dr. Marc Lanovaz, a University of Montreal professor at the forefront of integrating data science and machine learning in behavioral healthcare. We discuss the impact of cultural relevancy in behavior analysis, how machine learning can improve clinical decision-making in mental health, and a groundbreaking virtual reality application simulating the…
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2024 Can Be A Year For Healing
My 2024 started with morning cycling and an afternoon 5-mile hike with family. My dad is the one in the picture below. This is what 80 can look like. My father has traveled every continent and still adventures. My kids nicknamed my dad “cheetah grandpa”👴 for obvious reasons. He is now semi-retired but still goes…
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4 Steps to Creating Success
At a recent holiday gathering, a family member said his son “must go to one of the top 10 schools” to do well and have options in life. Like many well-meaning parents, this dad arranged a robust early reading and math instruction regimen, enrichment activities, and daily homework to build discipline. I was asked to…
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Does your economic output = your value? (The Source of Loneliness)
When I was little, my family moved every two or three years for my dad’s businesses, and each move killed my friendships and social life. Have you tried comforting your kids when they’re bullied or excluded? (Or maybe you know, from personal experience, how horrible it feels that you even take matters into your own…
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