Selective Mutism is an anxiety-disorder of childhood where a child demonstrates an inability to speak in certain social environments. A child may have difficulty speaking in one environment (speaks at home, but not at school) or multiple environments (does not speak at home or school). Selective Mutism is associated with functional impairments in educational, familial, social, or occupational settings. Left untreated, Selective Mutism may lead to increased stress within family units, decreased academic performance, and decreased socialization needed for appropriate development.

Back-to-school time is just around the corner and for children struggling with anxiety, it can be a time of increased stress (both for children and their families). Below are some tips that can help parents and kids feel more prepared for the transition back to school: Begin initiating expected bedtime and morning routines several weeks before school resumes: It is typically pretty challenging to switch from a relaxed summer schedule to a structured school schedule.

A lot of us are great at being compassionate toward others though find it hard to extend that same compassion toward ourselves. We have a harder time accepting ourselves for all that we are, especially when we make mistakes, do not meet standards we have set for ourselves, or experience some kind of loss. Acceptance does not mean we have to like, enjoy or want more of the painful experience we are in. It simply means we are dropping the fight with reality, which is something we must do in order to change an undesirable reality.

The International OCD Foundation explains that individuals with OCD have higher rates of eating disorders (about 11 to 17%), so if you or a loved one find yourself struggling with both OCD and an eating disorder, you are not alone. You are also in the right place. It can be overwhelming to have to switch gears and begin looking for new resources and treatments. Below are clinician-approved resources to help you on your journey:

It can be a struggle for people of all ages to step away from screens, and limits on screen time can be a frequent source of conflict between parents and their children. Why is it so hard for us to step away from screens? It boils down to neurotransmitters, especially dopamine. Dopamine is commonly thought of as a reward neurotransmitter.

One of the most common things I hear from parents when they bring their child into the office for treatment of selective mutism is: “I hadn’t even heard of this!” or “We’ve had them in speech therapy this whole time, even though they speak perfectly at home!” This is largely due to a misunderstanding of selective mutism and a lack of overall awareness of the disorder. Many caregivers as well as healthcare and school professionals haven’t heard of selective mutism and attribute a lack of speaking to the fact that a child is “shy.”

Parenting an adolescent comes with a unique set of challenges. Many of the pressures that teens are dealing with today are new. Social media and the competitiveness of college acceptance, along with the lasting effects of the pandemic, all contribute to the pressures facing adolescents. Add on additional struggles with general anxiety, OCD, social anxiety, testing anxiety, and parenting can feel overwhelming. Below are some suggestions to help guide you through this stage:

In every family, there will be times when children refuse to cooperate and argue with

their parents, resulting in conflict. Parenting during these times can be frustrating and tiring,

especially when you are not sure how to respond to your child’s behavior. Luckily, there are

some specific parenting strategies that have been shown through research to be effective in

fostering a strong parent-child relationship and increasing cooperation in children.

Teens are experiencing higher levels of anxiety than before the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to what is being referred to as a “mental health crisis.” Many children and teens with anxiety set high expectations for themselves, and this leads to increased anxiety. While many parents do set high expectations for their children, it’s not uncommon for parents to report that their teens are harder on themselves than anyone else.

“Do you think I’m going to be okay?”

That’s a real text (or at least a variation of one) that I sent to my mom, every day (sometimes multiple times per day) throughout the entirety of my college career. I was deep in an anxiety spiral that I had no real insight into, beyond that creeping feeling of “something is wrong.” At the time, I had no inkling that there could be a version of life where anxiety didn’t have such a strong impact on me.

When anxiety and depression find their way into your world, whether personally, with a family member or dear friend, they have a way of getting us stuck, and pull us from the things we care most about. It’s as if you are frozen, clinging to a boulder, afraid to look around, wanting to go upward, and unsure of the next step. In Acceptance and Commitment therapy, or ACT, this “stuckness” is called psychological inflexibility.

Spring is here – and by every way of its arrival, so is testing season in schools. Testing can bring up anxiety in any child, and as a parent, it is difficult to know how to best support your child. Testing anxiety, which is also considered performance anxiety, involves the fear of being judged as inadequate, as well as the fear of underperforming or making a mistake and of failure and/or rejection.

Children with anxious temperaments or those who worry about making mistakes or performing in general are particularly susceptible to feeling test anxiety. Usually when a child thinks that they aren’t going to do well on a test, then they tend to feel more anxious going in.

It’s a familiar scene: you pick your teen up from school and try asking about their day, but their face is buried in their smartphone, and you get grunts or, at best, one-word answers. You know that the lure of their friends is partly to blame, and the internet is where everyone congregates. After all, you’re a hip parent who follows Chrissy Teigen and your favorite HGTV stars on Instagram! You’ve also heard of the dangers of the internet, cyberbullying, and internet addiction—and you just miss connecting with your teen!

When I first start talking to parents about SPACE, I often introduce the concept by saying that responding supportively to a child’s anxious emotions is as paradoxical as riding a bike backwards. But unlike riding a bike backwards, SPACE can be extremely effective and get us where we need to go. SPACE, standing for “Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions”, is a parent-based treatment program targeted to treat children’s anxiety. That is to say, your child never has to step foot into a therapist’s office in order for SPACE to have a positive impact on the family system and on your child’s anxiety.

Relaxation relies on paradoxical processes. What this means is that it is challenging to “try to relax.” We have all been in a situation where someone tells us to calm down, and we react with anger and irritation. Trying to suppress our emotions, numb or not feel them, may work to get rid of unwanted feelings. However, numbing, avoiding, and suppressing emotions can dull our emotional experience and affect how we interpret what is going on in our lives and interact with others. Psychotherapy can help teach us proven techniques to lower our stress levels and anxiety without getting rid of emotions.

Although the Thanksgiving holiday is behind us, continuing the practice of gratitude has mental health benefits for all of us. Gratitude may be especially helpful for kids and teens who suffer from symptoms of anxiety and depression, given its ability to improve symptoms associated with both of these categories of mental health disorders. Here are a few ways that gratitude can be helpful for kids and teens:

Online school has altered the nature and degree of parental involvement in their children’s schoolwork. As children have had to take on more independence, many parents have struggled to know how much to involve themselves in their children’s daily educational tasks and activities. This series of blog posts presents recommendations to help guide your involvement in your child’s online education.

A certain degree of parent involvement is necessary for most children to engage in online school sufficiently. However, too much parent involvement can backfire and hinder children's academic and behavioral development. So, how much is too much? And when is it not quite enough? The answer is: it depends on the child, their teachers, and your parenting values and level of availability to engage.

As COVID-19 cases in the area decrease, a growing number of children are returning to in-person school. Many children are excited to return to school in person. However, for scores of children and adolescents, that excitement may also be accompanied by apprehension, nervousness, and/or anxiety.