CLICK HERE to check out a guest blog our founder, Brittany LaFleur, wrote for the Montgomery County Counseling Center. The blog explored the presentation of depression and anxiety in preschool aged children, when to seek help and who to turn to.
Pretty much everyone’s world has been rocked by COVID-19. For teenagers, the effects of social isolation are not just annoying, they are dangerous. A new study by Nationwide Children’s found that pediatric emergency department visits for mental health disorders have increased by 60% and visits for deliberate self-harm have increased by 329%. Of all the age categories, teenagers 15-17-years old showed the biggest increase (68%). In this blog we will explore possible reasons behind the increase, and how parents can help. Teenagers are Wired for Social Interaction It is widely known that one of the main goals of adolescents is independence. Teens start to slowly separate from their families and…
This week is National Play Therapy Awareness Week! The effectiveness of play is seen everyday at Your Best Self. In this blog, we will walk you through the basics of play therapy and how we utilize play therapy techniques in our practice. What Is Play Therapy? Play therapy is an umbrella term used for treatment methods involving and valuing the power of play. A therapist uses play to help a child address and resolve psychological and psychosocial challenges. Why Play Therapy? Renowned play therapist Garry Landreth wrote, “toys are children’s words and play is their language.” Makes sense doesn’t it? On a scientific level, the Broca’s area of the brain…
