Featured Post

Successful Transitions: Take Advantage of Teachable Moments (Part 9)

Every day, we have a new opportunity to teach our kids something. Take advantage of it!  Sometimes in our busyness and haste in getting things done, we forget to notice the little things that come up in everyday life that give us a chance to teach our children. In addition to talking about the big issues, parents can "think out loud" to their children daily about what is going on with their body, why things are happening, and what decisions are being made.Since my thirteen-year-old son will … [Read More...]

Recent Blogs

support

Part 1 of 2: Caring, Connecting and Compassion: The Do’s and Don’ts for Giving and Receiving Support During Hard Times

A mom shares her frustration:  “I’m fed up, exhausted, and sick of feeling like no one cares. Our lives are a constant battle. My best friend just doesn’t get it. Talking about it makes her uncomfortable so she changes the subject. I feel so alone.” What is support? Support can mean different things to different [...]

self-pity-quotation

Couples and Special Healthcare Needs: What You Need To Know (Part 4 of 4)

By Laura E. Marshak, PhD (Author’s Note: The word “marriage” can be used interchangeably with couples relationships of all kinds. The relationship challenges are similar whether couples are legally married or not.) Managing Perspective Living well with circumstances beyond our control often requires us not to get stuck in self-pity. Mourning versus Self-Pity It is [...]

video icon

Video Blog: Moving Forward in Your Individual Journey

When a child is diagnosed with a medical condition or disability, life changes. Join Laura Marshak, PhD and Lisa C. Greene to discover how to move forward by focusing on taking good care of yourself. Learn more about the differences between individual coping tasks versus couple coping tasks. Laura Marshak, PhD is a psychologist and professor [...]

Capture

Couples and Special Healthcare Needs: What You Need To Know (Part 3 of 4)

By Laura E. Marshak, PhD (Author’s Note: The word “marriage” can be used interchangeably with couples relationships of all kinds. The relationship challenges are similar whether couples are legally married or not.) Taking Care of Your Marriage and Your Busy Life The idea of taking care of your marriage while you’re incredibly busy with children [...]

ChallengesAhead

Couples and Special Healthcare Needs: What You Need To Know (Part 2 of 4)

By Laura E. Marshak, PhD (Author’s Note: The word “marriage” can be used interchangeably with couples relationships of all kinds. The relationship challenges are similar whether couples are legally married or not.) Individual Challenges and Couples’ Challenges The impact on a marriage of having a child with special healthcare needs is affected by each parent’s [...]

Image from www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Wishes Do Come True….

by Lisa C. Greene For years, my two children have been dreaming about their wishes. And, finally, in the space of about thirty days, both had their wishes come true! Let me explain. Both of our children have cystic fibrosis, a life-shortening genetic disease that primarily affects the lungs (visit CFF.org for details). Our children [...]

Capture

Couples and Special Healthcare Needs: What You Need To Know (Part 1 of 4)

By Laura E. Marshak, PhD (Author’s Note: The word “marriage” can be used interchangeably with couples relationships of all kinds. The relationship challenges are similar whether couples are legally married or not.) There’s a general belief having a child with special healthcare needs puts such a strain on couples that it places them at great risk. [...]

Image from www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Promoting Your Teen’s Success in Life

By Lisa C. Greene I walked into the family room for the third time today and what did I see? My teenager lounging on the couch, watching a movie. Certainly there must be something he could be doing with his time that would be more productive. There are plenty of chores to be done around [...]

Image from www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Preparing Children for Their IEP or 504 Plan Meeting

How would an IEP or 504 meeting be different if the child that everyone was talking about was actually IN THE ROOM? Our hope is that everyone would make more of an effort to be positive, focus on the gains and strengths and work as a team towards future goals.When your child turns 16 years [...]

Image from www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When Things Just Don’t Make Sense: Explaining Tragic Events to Children

By Foster W. Cline, M.D. Being a psychiatrist, I have had several people ask me how to explain the Connecticut killings and how to talk about it with their children (which follows). We are at a loss to explain these killings simply because we somehow believe things have to “make sense.” This is, I’m sad [...]