Types of Therapies for Mental Health: A Biopsychosocial Approach

Mental health treatment has typically focused on medications and therapy as gold standards for interventions. Most of our research is also highly focused on therapy and medications, giving it the stamp of ‘FDA approved’ and ‘evidence-based’. Unfortunately, this rather narrow approach to a myriad of diagnoses, including depression, anxiety, OCD, mood disorders, tics, ADHD, and… Read more »


Rejoice, Recreate, and Rejuvenate: Tips for Success in 2022

The field of psychology has advanced in so many ways to help us focus on happiness, well-being, positivity, and joy. As we attempt to recover from two years of intense stress related to covid, masking, social isolation, and remote online participation, we must seek strategies to boost our spirits and mental health. An important question is: What is happiness,… Read more »


Helping Children Cope With the Death of a Sibling

Grieving the pregnancy loss of a child is complicated, especially for siblings. As an example, let’s imagine a 4-year-old girl is participating in circle time in preschool. As her turn comes to share her weekend news, she innocently says, “We went to visit my dead brother in the graveyard. He died when he was born…. Read more »


Inside Edition: Dr. Maker Comments on Pranks on Kids

https://www.insideedition.com/media/videos/did-cole-and-sav-take-april-fools-prank-too-far-51923 Young kids need stability, predictability, and safety in order to thrive. Trust and secure attachment are critical foundations of healthy child development, and should be a primary focus of parenting. This video invites us to reflect on the impact of certain pranks on young children’s emotional well being, and how distressing pranks may be… Read more »


Divorce and Anxiety in Children and Teens

Divorce can be a significant life stressor for children and teens that can trigger anxiety in multiple ways. Children are resilient and the research indicates that most children of divorce fare well. Nevertheless, even healthy, typical divorces can lend themselves to heightened anxiety because of the a major life transition. Moving homes, changing schools, shuttling… Read more »


The Perils of Perfectionism In Kids and Teens

Perfectionism in Kids and Teens: Dr. Naecker provides expert research and tips on healthy achievement. In today’s busy world, children and teens are chronically juggling the demands of academics, sports, friendships, social media, family, and extra-curricular activities. The expectation and need to excel in multiple domains can be enormously taxing for children and adolescents, lending… Read more »


The Impact of Screen Time on Children & Parenting

Parents often worry about the amount of time their child is spending on electronics and how it is affecting their social skills, motivation, attention, emotional regulation, and neurological functioning. Given the easy access to multiple modes of media (TV, ipads, computers, phones, etc.), electronics have become the “go to” in quiet moments. Screen time has… Read more »


May Is Mental Health Month… With One More School Shooting

Source of graph: Wikipedia, 2018 Preventing Violence and Helping Children Cope with Trauma It is with great sorrow that we share our condolences with the families and community of Santa Fe High School. No one can doubt that school shootings are now an epidemic in the U.S., with an average of one school shooting every week… Read more »


Helping Kids Cope With The Trauma of School Gun Violence

Photograph Source: Wikimedia Commons The recent school gun shootings in Florida and Maryland continue to remind us of the critical need to take action to process the trauma with our children and to protect our children in schools. Children’s exposure to gun violence is a primary national health care crisis, and the American Academy of… Read more »


How to Prepare Your Child for Divorce: Tips for Parents

January has been tagged as ‘Divorce Month‘ in the United States and the United Kingdom as, every January, there is an unusually high volume of calls to family attorneys inquiring into divorce proceedings after the holidays. The divorce statistics remain high, with approximately 40% of marriages ending in divorce in both the U.S. and the… Read more »