Category Archives: Children and Parenting

Written by Lane Gormley, EdS, LPC, NCC

Growing up is a process, and it is a process to which we should give some thought if we want to understand ourselves and if we want to raise healthy children. There are many ways to represent development, many models that can shed light on it. A model is a system of organizing something so that we can say some general things about it. It is not ironclad or carved in stone; it is simply an aid to better understanding.

Written by Lane Gormley, EdS, LPC, NCC

Grady is very handsome. He is close to 6″4″ tall with his father”s striking good looks. He is a musician. He is sophisticated in dress – mostly black pants and dark tee shirts – and speech, and young women find him irresistible. An older girl wrote on his Facebook wall, “I find you interesting.”

Written by: Linda Herring, M.S., LPC

It’s that time of year again when the summer is over and the new school year is starting. There are mixed emotions coming from both parents and children. Parents are more than likely feeling some relief and maybe a little nervousness. Relief that the kids are going to be out of the house and out of their hair and nervousness of all the things that need to get done to prepare their child to have a wonderful school year. Children are more than likely feeling excitement and anxiety. Excitement about reconnecting with school friends they don’t keep in touch with over the summer and anxiety about being in another grade with a new teacher with harder classes. Here are some general tips to help start the school year off on a positive note:

Written by: Lane Gormley, EdS, LPC, NCC
(* Clients are never identified by their real names.)

Simona S. was the middle child and only daughter of a mother, Laura, who needed to prove something to herself. Laura had a difficult time in her teenage years and early adulthood, resulting in a lack of confidence and self-esteem. If tiny Simona were a “star”, Laura came to believe, then she would be a success at motherhood if nothing else.

Written by:  Lane Gormley, EdS, LPC, NCC

Teenagers are endearing and interesting; but they can be challenging for their parents to deal with – for several reasons.  One of the reasons may be you.  You are most likely the person who changed their diapers not so very long ago.  It is difficult for you to believe that the child to whom you read Go Dog Go now wants to wear spike stilettos and black eyeliner.  It is hard to look upward into the face of the once tiny boy you used to take Trick or Treating.  Teens are undergoing enormous physical, mental, and emotional changes.  Their hormones are in an uproar.  Some researchers write that their brains will not be fully developed until they are in their twenties.  Midway between childlike innocence and apparent adult sophistication, their demeanor can be unreadable and their personalities as changeable as spring weather.

Written by: Jerri Green, LPC

The beginning of the school year can produce a variety of feelings for children, preteens, teenagers and parents. For many, there is a combination of excitement and anxiety, about the start of a new year; as well as sadness that summer has come to an end. For parents, both positive and negative feelings may emerge with memories of their own school experiences. Here are a few tips to help parents and children start the school year with a positive attitude: