Is parenting your teen causing conflict?

Parenting teens can be very difficult! Parenting conflicts with teens is something that most of us have joked about amongst our fellow parents. If you are raising a teen, it’s highly probable that  you’ve wanted to scream, pull your own hair out, or hide in your bedroom from the adolescent drama and ridiculousness. However, there …

Does my teen have a digital or internet addiction?

Our teens live in a world that is full of screens. It can sometimes be difficult to know what is normal for digital addiction, video game addiction, social media addiction, internet addiction and what is not screen addiction? Signs of Internet Addiction The Center for Internet Addiction published the following: Meeting 5 of the criteria …

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Confronting Success

It seems some people are able to find success like a dog sniffing out bacon, whereas success to others is like looking for your lost keys. In one situation, success and goal achievement is just following the scent and in another it is a haphazard and frustrating experience. When we hear “success” we often think …

Jen Kraus: Compassionate Care

The Mental Wellness Counseling “Meet the Counselors” series offers a deeper look into each counselor’s background, experiences, motivations, values, and philosophies. In this series, I put counselors on the couch to learn why and how they do what they do. Q: How did you first get interested/involved in your particular field? A: I became interested …

Nicole Ball: Empowering Women

The Mental Wellness Counseling “Meet the Counselors” series offers a deeper look into each counselor’s background, experiences, motivations, values, and philosophies. In this series, I put counselors on the couch to learn why and how they do what they do. Nine Joyless Months Pregnancy according to Nicole Ball is not always the glowing complexion, framed sonogram …

Jessica Kelley: Nurturing Love and Growth 

The Mental Wellness Counseling “Meet the Counselors” series offers a deeper look into each counselor’s background, experiences, motivations, values, and philosophies. In this series, I put counselors on the couch to learn why and how they do what they do. Q: What experiences have you had that make you feel capable of being a counselor? …

Consequences vs. Punishment PARENTING COUNSELING

Consequences vs. Punishment for Kids

By Jessica Kelley As a parent it’s easy to get discouraged from energy exhausted into trying to get an obstinate child to “mind” you. After multiple failed attempts for obedience, you can start to give up, and hence give in to your child’s demands, tantrums, and behavior issues. How does this affect the parent and …

Teen Addictions: From Warning Signs to Treatment

  By: Steve Greenman, MA, LPC, NCC Sam came into my office with fear in his eyes. His father had called me and stated he needed to find some help for his boy – all had not been right for a while. Sam was a freshman in college and had been doing outstanding in his …

Self-Esteem: Set-Up for Success or Failure

By: Steve Greenman, MA, LPC, NCC   Many people go through life expecting the worst. Alfred Alder, the 19th century Austrian psychotherapist, stated: “Meanings are not determined by situations, but we determine ourselves by the meanings we give to situations.” But you can help your clients change their perceptions of themselves and the world and, as …

Traverse City Family Counseling

Traverse City Family Counseling

5 Ways to help angry kids Are your kids angry? Did your son recently get a MIP? Does your daughter sneak out? Do your kids throw tantrums? As experts in counseling children, working with angry kids, and family counseling, we want to help. Whether that is through reading our blog posts about family counselor or …

SLEEP RESOURCES

How to Improve Kids’ Sleep | 10 resources to help kids sleep

How to Improve Kid’s Sleep As parents, we want to stay educated and up-to-date on what best helps our kids learn, grow, and thrive. This page is centered around the topic of sleep. Why sleep? Here are a few reasons: 1. Sleep is core to improvement and maintenance in a number of areas including attention, …

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Kids should play more video games…or should they?

Watch Jane McGonigal’s TED Talk above to know how this fits into video games. Hospice Workers Report Top 5 Regrets on Deathbeds Here’s the link to the article 1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. 2. I wish I hadn’t worked …

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Nine ways to get better sleep

9 ways to get better sleep Sleep is when our brains organize what has happened. Most adults need at least 7 hours of sleep. People/kids in school need 8-10 hours to appropriately categorize what they have learned. Less sleep = More anxiety/depression/academic failure Don’t have a TV in your bedroom, it stimulates your brain to …

Mental Wellness Parenting Traverse City

Joe’s new parenting book

Joe’s New Book Mental Wellness Parenting | A remarkably simple approach to making parenting easier   From Mental Wellness Parenting | A remarkably simple approach to making parenting easier: Control vs. Voice So how do we use this new information about guiding our kids to help them change their behavior? Ultimately, you have no control …

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14 Ways to Show Your Kids Love on Valentine’s Day

Even parents need reminders. Sometimes it’s easy to just get in the routine of parenting. Although Valentine’s Day is often for lovers, we love our kids! It is a special day to share with them just how much they mean to you. Here are a few tips and ideas. Take them out for breakfast. Give …

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A rap is worth a thousand words

Parents rap about maintaining their household by videosonlytube I just saw this video. I don’t have much insight regarding counseling or therapeutic issues to write about. More that I just love how this couple seems to work together. It is so easy to get caught up in life’s tasks, but when a couple fires on …

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The Teen Brain

“All teenagers are risk-takers, moody, and get embarrassed by their parents.” “They are angry and hate adults.” “They only listen to their friends.” Are these statements really true? Sarah-Jayne Blakemore discusses why teenagers seem more impulsive and less self-aware than grown-ups. She compares the prefrontal cortex in adolescents to adults. Often typically “teenage” behavior is caused by …

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Helicopter Parents Gone Wild

A “helicopter parent” is a parent who hovers over their child, waiting to catch them before they skin their knee. “Helicopter Parents” schedule, plan, and create a world for their children. They are usually highly involved and deep down want the best for their kids. They are often high achievers or wish they had been …

When an escalator is not just an escalator

  I was at a conference today in Traverse City and the facilitator showed this video. I absolutely love it. For one, it is funny. But It also makes several points that I think are worth noting. The facilitator discussed the mentalities that many of us have: Victim vs. Creator. When a stimulus happens and …

Three Tips to Relax More as a Parent

How’s it going friend? I hope that your day is going fabulous! Also, thank you in advance for passing this on to one friend, I’m sure you know a parent that can grow with you, so thanks for helping your friends through this newsletter.  Today’s newsletter is going to be a shorter letter with a …

Boundaries | Tantrum-Toddlers to Tantrum-Teens

First let me say “welcome” to all of our new subscribers. It has been overwhelming to see how many new people joined us in the last month. Welcome, welcome welcome and thank you! Those of you that are the vets of the list, thank you as well for sticking with me! Now, down to business.New …

Four Things Every Preschooler Should Do Every Day

            Dear Joe, My five year old daughter talks to everyone, she is a lovely person with a big personality. I am worried that she will talk to strangers and it could lead to something bad. What are your thoughts on “stranger danger.” -A Mom in Traverse City, MI Dear …

Giving Good Instructions to Children

                Ask Joe Think “Dear Abby” for a new generation. Each newsletter I will select one or more questions to answer. So if you have a parenting or mental wellness question, please send it my way. I’m sure others have the same question and could benefit. joe@mentalwellnesscounseling.com Dear Joe, …

Four Parenting Tips

              Four Parenting Tips Parenting can be so complex, here are some quick tips to get you going: 1. Start observing: When you review your child’s behavior, what do you see, hear, and observe. What is your starting point? Once you establish the description of behavior, it will be easier …