Tag Strength

Rites of Passage or Bullying: Understanding the Fine Line

Explore the distinction between traditional rites of passage and bullying, using insights from a case study in Sayreville, NJ, to highlight the importance of recognizing and addressing power imbalances in youth activities.
What can we do about bullying as parents and elders in our communities and homes? Pay attention, ask questions, and go deeper. You are your child's first life of defense in keeping things balanced in our world. As parents, we need to pay attention to our children's body language and behavior. Are they sleeping more or less? Are they excited to go to practice and school? Do your children isolate? Are there new people in their lives? Do you know who their friends are and what they do today? Are you at practice and games to see what is going on and who they are associated with? Do you know trauma when you see it?

Understanding the Depths of Despair: A Compassionate Look into Suicide

As mental health professionals, it is our duty to confront the specters of depression, grief, anxiety, and fear with open hearts and minds. Suicide assessments are not merely clinical evaluations but opportunities to restore a sense of agency and hope to individuals grappling with the desire to end their pain. Questions that empower and offer perspective are pivotal in rekindling the will to find alternative solutions to life's challenges.
As mental health professionals, it is our duty to confront the specters of depression, grief, anxiety, and fear with open hearts and minds. Suicide assessments are not merely clinical evaluations but opportunities to restore a sense of agency and hope to individuals grappling with the desire to end their pain. Questions that empower and offer perspective are pivotal in rekindling the will to find alternative solutions to life's challenges.

Parenting: Embracing the Unpredictable

Holistic Parenting
Conscious parenting is the mindful approach I recommend for parenting throughout a lifetime. There is less emphasis on the present moment and more on looking at the family system as it grows holistically. Before I became a parent, I worked with children as a therapist. Still, I was unaware of my personal commitment to parenting despite helping to raise children within my extended family system. Despite the many years of training, internships, and volunteer activities, I was so lost.  We went through childhood, right? How hard can it be?