Q: What is occupational therapy all about? A: Most people think occupational therapy is about jobs, recovery, or going back to work. While this is often the case for adults, occupational therapy for kids is completely different. I think this is somewhat misunderstood. The occupation of a child is play, getting along with their peers,
Reflections from a Child and Family Therapist… It’s June and that means it’s time to celebrate Pride Month! Pride is a time to celebrate diverse genders and sexual orientations and commemorate the work people have done to ensure LGBTQ people can live openly and freely without discrimination. For parents, Pride Month is also a good
I hear you, mamma. I do. You feel you’re not “good enough.” That you aren’t putting in enough effort. Your house isn’t spotless, your children yell or throw tantrums, they struggle to learn, they don’t sleep through the night. In the pursuit of ‘perfect parenthood,’ all eyes are set on the children. In truth, the
Q: When did your love for naturopathic medicine begin? A: It started in college when I met a naturopathic doctor. Growing up I always just wanted to be a doctor. When I got to college however I learned more about health insurance, pharmaceutical companies, etc., and then suddenly it didn’t feel quite like a good
The flowers are blooming, the temperature is not yet blazing…it’s the perfect time to appreciate our Arizona landscape until…..Achoo! Spring has sprung and with it the discomfort of seasonal allergies. Whether it be the palo verdes or the olive trees, Tucson and its surrounding area has its own unique bounty of pollen spreaders that make
A bit of boredom can be beneficial! Boredom is needed to spark creativity, and it helps motivate children and teens to pursue new goals and develop self-control. However, sometimes boredom can contribute to depression and other kinds of emotional distress in kids and teens. Knowing when to step in, support children and teens, and suggest
Emotional meltdowns commonly frustrate parents and seem hard to understand, prevent, and manage. Children often lose control of their emotions when they can’t verbalize their needs. Their irritation, frustration, and anger build up until they reach a tipping point. When the intensity of children’s emotions becomes too much for their nervous system to handle, the thinking
Gosh, it is hot out there. I know I chose to live in Tucson, AZ and it comes with the territory but the heat of the summer always leaves me a bit sweaty, tired, and cranky. For our kids however, it is not always so obvious that the heat is getting to them. This is the time
Hi. How are you? Like… really? Are you struggling as much as most parents right now? Look. I know you’re worried about your kid(s). I’ll give you some ideas for them, too. I’m pretty concerned about you right now though. The expectations on you are confusing and more than they should be. You know, your
When I asked my children what makes a good dad, the first word that came to their minds was “playful.” At first, I wasn’t sure if I found their word choice delightful or annoying. I mean I’m a huge believer in the importance of play. It can be so healing and supportive of development. Yet,
I didn’t understand– most of us didn’t– exactly how it would feel to prepare for a pandemic to sweep through. On Friday afternoon our team naturopathic physician, Dr. Sage, attended a special seminar hosted by the Arizona Department of Health Services about COVID-19 (aka. Novel Coronavirus). On Monday, Dr. Sage and I began putting together
If your children (and you) sleep through the night, you are the envy of parents everywhere! So many things can get in the way of getting a consistently good night’s rest– overstimulation, anxiety, depression, difficulty with making transitions, etc. Maybe your sweetie pie repeatedly begs for one more drink of water, worries about the next
When I was a kid, flat soda and Vick’s seemed to be my family’s go-to treatments for nearly all forms of illness. Now that I’m a grown up and making a lot of the medical decisions for my family I’ve learned to appreciate a few other tricks. Yet, this flu season has been a force
It’s a new year and a new decade. For many people, that means it’s resolution time. It’s finding-yourself time. It’s creating-new-habits-and-setting-goals time. Maybe you’re one of the few who make your dreams come true at the start of each new year, but most of us live a different reality. Depending on the source, surveys suggest
It’s the winter holiday season. Perhaps you prefer to keep this time of year simple. Or maybe you have a go-big-or-go-home mentality. If you’re like many American families though, you’re probably on the look out for at least a few gifts for the young children on your list. We here at Intuition Wellness Center believe
There are things I spend a fair amount of time worrying about in my professional work. As a psychologist and director of a child and family wellness center, I worry about whether families feel supported; about overscheduled lives limiting opportunities for connection; about the stress hormones resulting from the hurry-hurry-do-everything attitude of our society causing
I have always been an observer. This tendency doesn’t stop with people-watching. As a child, I was fortunate enough to live near a nationally-ranked well-funded zoo. For a period of time, I was certain zoology was the field for me. I remember standing gape-mouthed at my local zoo as young gorillas pulled off impressive gymnastic-quality
About 70 years ago, the psychiatrist Dr. John Bowlby made a surprising revelation about mental health. He stated that it is dependent on each of us experiencing a “warm, intimate and continuous relationship” in which both child and caregiver “find satisfaction and enjoyment.” Dr. Bowlby’s findings led him to develop the science of attachment– which
It’s the New Year! A clean slate. Many of us approach the New Year with BIG DREAMS. We might even set goals. But if you are anything like me, you may have had the experience of running out of steam, losing motivation, getting discouraged and even giving up. I decided to do some research with the hopes
It’s a time of year that can certainly overwhelm the senses for many of us– flashing lights littering many lawns and homes, Christmas music blasting from department store speakers, crowds… crowds…. CROWDS. For some people though, sensory overload can be an everyday experience that leads to many moments of discomfort. What is Sensory Overload? Some
