The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise

Exercise is defined as any body movement that makes your muscles work and requires your body to use calories. There are a variety of different types of physical exercise including running, walking, swimming, lifting weights, dancing and many others. You are likely aware of the physical health benefits that come with regular exercise such as weight control, lower blood pressure, reduced risk of diabetes, and increased energy. But did you also know that there are important mental health benefits from exercise? Regardless of age or fitness level, research shows that making time for exercise provides some serious mental health benefits.

Continue reading

Helping Your Child get Used to Wearing a Face Mask

As different phases of re-opening have begun, one question on parents’ mind is, “will my child need to wear a mask?” At some point this summer and into the Fall, children will be encouraged to wear masks in a variety of different settings including the classroom, doctors’ offices, shopping malls, and restaurants. This brings us to a common question that parents have been asking lately, “how do I help my child get used to wearing a mask?”

Continue reading

Parent Consultation as a Standalone Treatment for Children and Adolescents

Many therapy treatment models for children involve a combination of the identified patient and family. Clinical psychologists and social workers routinely consult, teach, and support the parents of the children/adolescents they are treating. However, parenting consultation, which can sometimes be referred to as parent training, is also a highly successful standalone treatment. Clinical evidence shows that parent training decreases problematic behaviors in children and adolescents while simultaneously increasing parental confidence. Further, clinical data suggests that parents self-report an improvement in the relationship with their child.

As a parent, you’re likely thinking that this makes a lot of sense. Who better to help a child with their sleep problems than the parent who is getting up in the middle of the night? Who better to help a child with social anxiety than the caregiver who braces themselves for an anxious meltdown before a birthday party?  In the parent consultation treatment model, therapists teach the teachers who spend the most time in the parenting classroom – moms, dads, or caregivers.

Continue reading