ABUSE & NEGLECT

Getting the Help You Need – Fast

One of the challenges of living with a mental health issue – either yours or that of someone whose life you’re involved in – is that sometimes an incident quickly escalates from “under control” to crisis level. If you need help immediately, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) lists several resources on […]

Courage

Courage By Michael H. LeBlond, PhD, MBA Licensed Psychologist How often have you heard “just feel the fear and do it anyway.” This actually is not far from the definition of courage. What courage is not is the absence of fear. When most people think of courage they think of it in one […]

When in Doubt, Follow Grandma’s Advice!

We live in a fast-paced world infused (and often confused!) with information and technology. It’s a world in which we eat on the go, sleep when we can, and often neglect to take care of ourselves. We call that “progress”, but ironically, as we dig to find the newest, latest, most advanced wellness research, we […]

Creating Meaning

Say you are in your 20s or 30s or 40s, and feeling depressed and hopeless. Perhaps you feel your situation is so bleak and hopeless that you are considering suicide. Now imagine yourself in your 80s. Looking back, how would your 80-year-old self tell your life story? Perhaps you have a pet that you rescued […]

Steps for Overcoming Low Self-Esteem

Today I went to the nearby grocery store and passed by the section where they have day old bread and dented and damaged goods. It brought to mind how many individuals view themselves as damaged goods. The price mark-down shelves were an additional example of how we can make ourselves feel of lesser value than […]

Go Ahead and Ask: Dinner Table Behavior

Question: My 3-year old daughter has a diagnosis of PDD-NOS. She is a very sweet child and is learning new things every day, although she isn’t quite talking yet. Our biggest problem right now is dinner time – she absolutely refuses to sit at the table with the family. She starts screaming and I end […]

Autism and the Family

Autism is clearly a disorder that affects the functioning of the child with the diagnosis. It also profoundly affects the entire family — parents, siblings, and the extended family. Recognizing and coping with these effects is an important process for family members not only to care effectively for the child with autism, but also for […]

Seven Ways to Be More Effective

The late, best-selling author Steven Covey wrote The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People back in 1989, but he believed the depth and breadth of societal changes and challenges that had taken place between when the book first came out and and our current lives made the habits he described even more relevant today. People […]

Healing Trauma

War. Rape. Fear. Violence. Molestation. Sexual assault. According to Bessel van der Kolk, MD, incidents involving emotional trauma and toxic stress are far more common than people generally understand. Since 2001, he says, far more Americans died due to family violence than in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Women are twice as likely to […]

Abuse and Neglect: How Can It Be Treated

GETTING HELP FOR THE CHILD AND FAMILY The child may need medical treatment and counseling. Abused children can be seriously hurt. Children may also have emotional problems. Counseling and support groups are available for children and for abusive parents who want to get help. There are state and other government departments or agencies that are responsible […]

Abuse and Neglect: What Causes It

There is not any single fact which causes abuse; abuse usually occurs in families where there is a combination of risk factors. Abuse and neglect occur most often in families who are under pressure and lack support. Most abuse, other than sexual abuse, occurs in families to which some, or all, of the following apply: […]

Abuse and Neglect: Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect may mimic the signs and symptoms of many common chronic medical conditions in either children or elderly persons. A complete assessment for child or elder abuse and neglect is time consuming and is best performed as a regimented evaluation that includes separate histories from the patient(s) and […]