https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/blog daily 0.75 2026-01-05 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/blog/2019/3/11/zrmanja-falls-croatia-f3exm-dzzn4-3xc7e-nyjj3 monthly 0.5 2024-04-25 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/blog/2019/3/11/zrmanja-falls-croatia-f3exm-dzzn4-3xc7e monthly 0.5 2024-04-25 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/blog/2019/3/11/zrmanja-falls-croatia-f3exm-dzzn4-3xc7e-wyzxd-g7mby-s92xt-sdtbm-5cxm2-z8y3e-e3273 monthly 0.5 2024-01-26 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/blog/2019/3/11/zrmanja-falls-croatia-f3exm-dzzn4-3xc7e-wyzxd-g7mby-s92xt-sdtbm-5cxm2-z8y3e-e3273-ph9ye-56blg monthly 0.5 2024-01-26 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/blog/2019/3/11/zrmanja-falls-croatia-f3exm-dzzn4-3xc7e-wyzxd monthly 0.5 2024-01-26 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/blog/2019/3/11/zrmanja-falls-croatia-f3exm-dzzn4-3xc7e-wyzxd-g7mby monthly 0.5 2024-01-26 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/blog/2019/3/11/zrmanja-falls-croatia-f3exm-dzzn4-3xc7e-wyzxd-g7mby-s92xt monthly 0.5 2024-01-26 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/blog/2019/3/11/zrmanja-falls-croatia-f3exm-dzzn4-3xc7e-wyzxd-g7mby-s92xt-sdtbm monthly 0.5 2024-01-26 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/blog/2019/3/11/zrmanja-falls-croatia-f3exm-dzzn4-3xc7e-wyzxd-g7mby-s92xt-sdtbm-5cxm2 monthly 0.5 2024-01-26 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/blog/2019/3/11/zrmanja-falls-croatia-f3exm-dzzn4-3xc7e-wyzxd-g7mby-s92xt-sdtbm-5cxm2-z8y3e monthly 0.5 2024-01-26 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/blog/2019/3/11/zrmanja-falls-croatia-f3exm-dzzn4-3xc7e-wyzxd-g7mby-s92xt-sdtbm-5cxm2-z8y3e-e3273-ph9ye monthly 0.5 2024-01-26 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/the-sensible-therapist daily 0.75 2026-01-05 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/the-sensible-therapist/mayflowers-growthroughwhatyougothrough monthly 0.5 2024-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1621115129611-ELXXKY4E4P810J1QLVMC/unsplash-image-u_nzcmUWLe8.jpg The Sensible Therapist - May Flowers: Grow Through, What you Go Through https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1621115183850-FZSSA5S4D0A5SWLW7Z3E/Stick.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - May Flowers: Grow Through, What you Go Through - This plant’s story… Take this little plant for example. It sprouted from its mother plant and was the most adorable little sproutling - it worked so hard to push it’s way through the dark and rocky soil to find the sunlight, only to have me come along, dig it up, and put it into foreign soil. (Side note - to capture the whole story, I was moving and this sproutling’s mother plant was waaayyy to big to try and transplant, so this little plant was chosen to come to my new home instead). Well, that adorable little sproutling lost all of it’s leaves and I was pretty sure it had died - but I didn’t give up on it… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1621116482458-W3VWXOMT96FVFSXNJ6AW/WhatsApp+Image+2021-05-15+at+2.19.20+PM.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - May Flowers: Grow Through, What you Go Through - This Plant’s Story Cont’d… Each day I would attend to it and see what it needed and try to give it just that - no more, no less. One day when I came to check on it, I saw it had started to sprout new leaves. and as you’ll see later, it is back to its adorable little self and is growing faster than ever! This is what this blog is about today, for those moments when you feel like you have been through a storm, been uprooted, and lost all of your leaves. How do you set new roots to stay grounded and then give yourself what you need in order to come back even more beautiful than the last time? It’s as “easy” as A-B-C https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1621118986574-6EH9VM8KJU1G1E3GO3VQ/unsplash-image-slk862vQQmE.jpg The Sensible Therapist - May Flowers: Grow Through, What you Go Through https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/the-sensible-therapist/mayflowers-timetogrow monthly 0.5 2024-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1619912976228-CIU33B8EQVE5HM7Y5ZOQ/unsplash-image-fYOeW5uDj6w.jpg The Sensible Therapist - May Flowers: Time to Grow https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1619913440473-4TKE13CPDXWTOABVPKJ9/unsplash-image-VMKBFR6r_jg.jpg The Sensible Therapist - May Flowers: Time to Grow - We all want to grow…most of the time… When we think of change and growth, I think one of the most common images that comes to mind is a beautiful butterfly emerging from their cocoon (it truly is beautiful!). But I think what is sometimes forgotten, is what actually happens during this metamorphosis - before that beautiful butterfly ever comes out of it’s cocoon, it goes through some seriously hard times! (Seriously, go look it up after reading this, it’s not pleasant, but I don’t want to get too distracted here. ) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1619914142491-0GY97D3QRBIXHU3JVER6/unsplash-image-XkF8LgDb0do.jpg The Sensible Therapist - May Flowers: Time to Grow - Getting through the metamorphosis… So as we think about change and growth, we usually go into it with this amazing image of beautiful butterfly, but when we are hit with the reality of what it may take, we start to pull back a little…or maybe a lot. This is because most of us grow-up with what is known as a “fixed mindset”, rather than a “growth mindset”. The good news is that once we are aware of our mindset and how it affects us, we are able to begin to make a shift. Let’s take a closer look… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1619915637479-3ZMM9BMCIMP7LPYVBZV0/unsplash-image-tYnnY7gKyZs.jpg The Sensible Therapist - May Flowers: Time to Grow https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1619916659672-8ISU5B5S7X6CP4T1SATQ/unsplash-image-AdK3KrfBhzg.jpg The Sensible Therapist - May Flowers: Time to Grow https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/the-sensible-therapist/april-showers-whenyoudontknowwhattodoanymore monthly 0.5 2024-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1619383148797-GUTV2GAL02WK0K4ZVMYQ/unsplash-image--tYsPFKMm7g.jpg The Sensible Therapist - April Showers: When you don’t know what to do anymore! - What a mess! I don’t know about you, but lately it just feels like there is an abundance of information about what is “best” for us and the kiddos during this pandemic. And to top it all off, it’s happening during a very politically charged time. So when making a decision about what is best for you and your children it can lead to quite a bit of distress - especially if how you’re feeling doesn’t necessarily align with what you think about the situation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1614629933310-540STVUEYFOX45QMV5XJ/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - April Showers: When you don’t know what to do anymore! - Figuring out the maze… I wish I could tell you I have a straight forward answer for what is best for YOU and YOUR CHILD. Whether you should or should nor get the vaccine, if it is better to keep your kid home for the rest of the school year or send them back, what the long term impact of all of this is going to be, etc. But the truth is…the reason this feels so messy it there is no easy answer…there is no “right” answer…and we don’t truly know the long term impacts of anything, yet. I mean, don’t get me wrong - there are some very smart people out there, with some very good guesses - BUT it can still be difficult to determine what is best for you. Soooo, what do you do what when the information you are getting is overwhelming? When it seems like there is good information on both sides? When your thoughts and feelings don’t match? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1614631834797-LSLH1WTD5XTDP9I75NYL/ProsCons+Image.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - April Showers: When you don’t know what to do anymore! https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/the-sensible-therapist/april-showers-covid-fatigue monthly 0.5 2024-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1613265837602-QM7MAF72KEJO65RS8IQ6/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - April Showers: COVID Fatigue - Last year vs. This Year Last year around this time we were all hopeful that we would quarantine for a few weeks and then go back to “normal”. Fast forward through MONTHS of quarantining, distance learning, social justice movements, a presidential election and here we are 1-year later… This year we are again feeling hopeful that we may soon return to our “normal” pre-COVID lifestyles as the vaccine is slowly but surely being rolled out to the public. BUT, there is one key difference this year…we are all EXHAUSTED. And it’s not the “I didn’t get 8-hours of sleep” kind of exhaustion, it’s the, “I don’t even know how I’m surviving exhaustion”. For me, 2020 is like when parents first bring home a newborn - they are hit with their new reality and utterly tired from the long nights, but hopeful that soon their sleepless nights will end. 2021 is when parents have managed months of sleepless nights and are now on autopilot as they make it through their day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1613266480432-0W2WDJ52XIJTAAII50YO/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - April Showers: COVID Fatigue - The impact on kids… As parents and adults, we recognize the impact that a global pandemic is having on us (well, most of the time). We know we are more tired, irritable, forgetful, and overall more sensitive to other stressors - but kids usually aren’t this insightful. On top of this, since you child’s emotional brain is much larger than the smart part of their brain, they are feeling these things at much more heightened level. Let’s take a look at some of things your kid might be doing that are signs of COVID fatigue and ways that you can help yourself and your kiddo(s)! https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/the-sensible-therapist/hackingyoukid101-houserules monthly 0.5 2024-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1612841712430-CK7CD5HPSFXIJ1NT0CYL/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Hacking your kid 101: House Rules https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1612841906696-FXNMNJGU9XPNE0N8D2RO/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Hacking your kid 101: House Rules - Rules are meant to be broken… Before we get started, I’d like to mention that in a way the above statement is true, especially for kids. This is because kids learn by testing the boundaries that we set for them, I mean think about it for second… Why did you follow a rule the last time you were given one? Is it because you’ve had experience with breaking a rule and had to suffer the consequences? We can also flip this…When is the last time you didn’t follow a rule? Did you think the outcome of breaking the rule outweighed the consequence? Now to put this into context, you’ve had YEARS of experience to learn what the consequence of breaking a rule would be in order to make the decision that is best for you…kids, well, you are the place where they are learning this! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1612842744793-1VSTAXFA3CXH2EK25DS7/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Hacking your kid 101: House Rules - Having realistic expectations… If we understand that kids are learning the ins and outs of following rules, we can create more realistic expectations for ourselves and for them! Know that… Kids need rules! It helps to give them structure and know what is okay and not okay. Even if they are going through a hard time, they need that stability, consistency, and predictability. Kids are going to break rules and that’s okay! As mentioned above, this is how they learn about consequences in life - which is why following through is so important! Just because they break them, doesn’t mean they aren’t purposeful or that you shouldn’t have them! Sometimes it may mean the rule or consequence needs to be updated. You don’t need a million rules! Most behaviors can be managed with things we have learned in previous blogs (Relationship skills, BE DIRECT, Selective Attention, Two-Choice time-out or removal of privileges) Let’s learn how to set effective house rules! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1611638493098-AR4NOA7SH3A17KKHJ05Q/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Hacking your kid 101: House Rules - Let’s go back to the start… Even with the most perfectly implemented house rule - the rules will be broken, new behaviors will pop up, and old ones will vanish only to reappear at a later date. If we keep in mind that kids break rules to learn and that even we as adults test the boundaries of the world, we can handle our kids behavior from a place of understanding and help them to successfully navigate this world. https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/the-sensible-therapist/hackingyourkids101-timeoutandremovalofprivileges monthly 0.5 2024-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1612064838407-6UMYRSK7EGWT8VC9M4SJ/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Hacking your kid 101: Time Out & Removal of Privileges https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1612066080665-XNQFKPZDC518XAXCO9QS/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Hacking your kid 101: Time Out & Removal of Privileges - Let’s jump right in! I usually try to have a relatable example here, but there is about to be A LOT of information so let’s buckle up and get started! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1612066292281-46OYDGDQ3B29PDGOT09M/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Hacking your kid 101: Time Out & Removal of Privileges - A couple notes… 1. Consistency and predictability are keys to implementing appropriate consequences. If you do not have the time or energy to follow through with a directive or consequence - DO NOT place the directive. 2. Not all behaviors need a time out or removal of privileges. For instance, if your kid is walking backwards and about to run into something, and you tell them to turn around, and they don’t. Let them bump into that item (as long as it won’t lead to physical harm!). This is a natural consequence. 3. Remember as the parent you are in control. Many times when parents have “run out ideas” to get their kid to listen, they feel out of control. Please be assured that you basically have control over their entire world and can use this to gain compliance - you just need to have patience because they may not do what you want right away, but you’ll always have something of theirs to withhold until they comply (e.g., toys, favorite activity, tablet, etc.). https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/the-sensible-therapist/hackingyourkid101-selectiveattention monthly 0.5 2024-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1612058260048-IPSJ13LCBOU5E718F2CN/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Hacking your kid 101: Selective Attention https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1612059829973-IQT4KBYMIP7N64IV6SF6/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Hacking your kid 101: Selective Attention - “Energy goes where attention flows” - Tony Robbins Have you ever woken up and stubbed your toe and from that moment on it felt like the rest of your day was one irritation after the next? Or perhaps the opposite, you woke to the smell of coffee and from that moment on the day was full of pleasant surprises? This often feels like a mystery to people, but what is happening is a matter of intention. On those bad days, there are likely positive things happening that you are not paying attention to and likewise with good days, there are likely negative things happening that you are not paying attention to. Essentially you are selectively attending to things without even realizing it! This also happens with your kids as well and likely why there are some good days and some bad days that seem mysterious. Just as we can train ourselves in our everyday lives to selectively attend to things that bring us joy, while ignoring things that don’t - we can also actively ignore children’s annoying behaviors, while selectively attending to and praising their positive behaviors! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1612058568468-HYFRSQQ2AVMKB3PLQRH6/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Hacking your kid 101: Selective Attention - Let’s take a second to pause… What happened the last time your remote control did not work? Did you press the power button a couple more times to see if it would work? After that, did you did you make sure your remote was on the right setting? Once that was checked, did you gently tap the remote to see if that would make it work? Did you rotate the batteries? Did you replace the batteries? When none of that worked…did you finally walk over to the TV and turn it manually? Or give up? How did you feel as all of this happened? When you pressed the power button multiple times to see if it would work, that’s what is known as an “extinction burst” - we do this all of the time when our behaviors that previously worked, no longer work. The following things you did are called “increasing variability”, which simply means that once you realized the previous behavior would not work, you tried lot’s of different things until something worked or you gave up. I’m guessing through this, you may have felt slightly annoyed or frustrated. Remember this as we learn how to actively ignore/selectively attend because recognizing the extinction burst and increase in variability will help you know that what you are doing is working and stay sane through the process! And you will also be able to relate to how your child is feeling! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1612063555266-OB13RMW1C6MFZDNE3PN9/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Hacking your kid 101: Selective Attention - What gets in the way… There are some common challenges to selective attention. Let’s take a look…. https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/the-sensible-therapist/hackingyourkids101-effectivedirections monthly 0.5 2024-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1611630644108-A5VZXFRGFCKD9U3NBWVG/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Hacking your kid 101: Giving Effective Directions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1611632045542-L8SKNBTYCPL3OVBMRY98/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Hacking your kid 101: Giving Effective Directions. - Let’s take a second to reflect… When is the last time an authority figure (boss, parent, police officer) asked you to do something and you did it? What about the last time you didn’t do it? What was the difference? If I had to guess, there may have been a few differences… Perhaps it depended on how busy you were at the moment. Or maybe it was the way they asked. Or maybe you didn’t know what to do. Or maybe you didn’t get why they were they asking you to do that certain thing. Or maybe, they asked you to do several things at once and you forgot some of the things you were supposed to be doing. Or maybe, you just weren’t feeling it. I think as adults, we forget that kids have these same thoughts and feelings when being asked to do something! So as we go through learning how to BE DIRECT, I want you to think of one person that you always listen to and one that you don’t (it is especially helpful if these people are authority figures!). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1611637651445-FC6N0PJ3HK76C90DGOH4/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Hacking your kid 101: Giving Effective Directions. - 3 Important Things to Remember! 1. You need to have your child’s attention before giving a directive. * How would you feel if your boss walked in and just started telling you what to do before getting your attention? 2. Consistency is key because it teaches them you are predictable! * What if your boss banned you favorite morning drink in the office, but only sometimes checked to see if you brought it in? 3. Praise them each time they comply! * How would you feel if your boss cut your pay each time you made a mistake, but never paid you for the work you did well? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1611638493098-AR4NOA7SH3A17KKHJ05Q/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Hacking your kid 101: Giving Effective Directions. - Let’s go back to the start… BE DIRECT is all of those differences that were noted at the beginning. If you’re already in the middle of doing something, then a carefully timed explanation likely helped you listen. If you didn’t feel overwhelmed by the task, you were probably given an individual task and it was developmentally appropriate. If you knew what you needed to do, you were told specifically what you needed to do. And if you just felt like doing it for the other person, they were probably respectful. Now… please start using the BE DIRECT skill :) https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/the-sensible-therapist/connectingwithkids-describe monthly 0.5 2024-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1610852294213-QE22AW12AC6E5XQ5IFNI/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Connecting with Kids: Describe https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1610854560824-EXKJ2JF0AE0G8R57VWSY/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Connecting with Kids: Describe - That’s right! Just describe what they’re doing! What is this child doing? If you are thinking “the child is stacking blocks” (or some variation thereof), you are definitely correct, but let’s take a closer look. If we take a step back and truly describe what is happening, we can come up with a richer description of what the child is doing. I might say, “you are putting the 6 block on top of the 7 block!” With so much stimulation in our modern world it can be difficult for kids (and us!) to maintain their focus and tolerate boredom. Our brains are trained from an early age to keep moving from one task to the next in order to be “successful”, however, this often leads to us rushing through things rather than digging deeper. By describing what your child is doing, it helps them to slow down, focus in on the details, and have a richer experience of the task at hand (and of life in general). Just think about the last time someone asked you what you were doing or happened describe what you were up to…I would guess the first thing you did was pause - even for a brief second - to consider what you were doing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1610855587559-07608DD6Z8K38WCUIDB6/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Connecting with Kids: Describe - Describe…so do I just say everything they are doing? Basically…well at least everything that you approve of and want them to attend to more. This is a pretty simple skill to learn, however, just like any skill it takes practice and there can be some bumps in the road. Let’s take a look… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1610859300683-F0LS79A3VTU44RWKLWIG/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Connecting with Kids: Describe - Challenges… As simple as this is, there can be some challenges along the way… https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/the-sensible-therapist/imitate monthly 0.5 2024-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1610861108706-8B1YR0IRN9OQNMMLA8KZ/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Connecting with Kids: Imitate https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1611017457156-IZY9FY030MPX9G1KT79O/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Connecting with Kids: Imitate - Yup! We copy them, so they copy us! Take a moment to think about the last time someone imitated your behavior (that wasn’t in the mocking sense) - maybe someone smiled back at you, returned a peace sign, sighed in exasperation with you, or rolled their eyes in shared annoyance…how did you feel? I would guess you likely felt understood. And I would also guess that the next time you were around that person that you did the same thing the next time you saw them (if they weren’t a stranger that you smiled at). This is exactly how kids feel when you imitate them! When you put up a pair of pretend binoculars with them to go on a bear hunt, when you mimic a silly face, or when you slump your shoulders as they tell you things aren’t working out the way they wanted, you are telling them - “I see you, you are understood, and I approve of what you are doing” or if you do not necessarily approve, “it makes sense what you are doing.” And I don’t know about you, but I know when I feel understood, I am way more likely to begin listening to the person that brought about that feeling! And when I am listening, I allow new ideas in and learn! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1611019287205-VXSVK8GL1IS1IANMPZS0/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Connecting with Kids: Imitate - Imitate…do I just act like my child? Well, yeah! When imitating your child you kind of want to think of yourself as if you were their mirror! It is one of the simplest ways to connect with your child, but can also be difficult because you have to carefully attend to them and tap into your inner child. Let’s take a closer look… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1611023216127-AU7IEJ6UNUUUW4BC26R3/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Connecting with Kids: Imitate - The challenges… What can get in the way? https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/the-sensible-therapist/reflect monthly 0.5 2024-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1610250489343-SUB2ZGASXW9Z6OPC1QKA/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Connecting with Kids: Reflect https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1610251221996-XKSBQY1M2NODU64VIOP4/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Connecting with Kids: Reflect - That’s right! Let’s get to some understanding! What is in this mirror? While the answer to this may seem simple, if we pause for second, we might realize that while we likely have the same answer, we might have paid attention to different aspects of the picture. For example, one person may say, “there are two birds and a cloud”, while another might say, “there is a bright blue sky, two black birds, and a floating cloud”, while another may say, “the sky”. None of these answers are wrong - in fact, while some answers may be “missing” things that are in the mirror, they are actually telling us what is most important to the person answering the question. Kids tell us what is important to them! And they are curious, mindful, little ones that pick up on “important” things we miss all of the time. Because of this, they constantly want to show us their “new” discoveries (even if you’re on the toilet), do things a certain way, or drag their feet at new place. This is where reflections are helpful to let your kid know you understand what is important to them (and move things along!). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1610253842848-3GTGLNQ6ACBSEZWB3U5H/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Connecting with Kids: Reflect - Reflections…Should I just hold up mirror? Yes, but with your words! Maybe a more helpful image here would a parrot. Just as a parrot repeats back what you say (well a trained one at least), you repeat what your kid says! Let’s learn a little more about why and how… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1610257549161-TC63FIDLWM7UT2DM4PQX/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Connecting with Kids: Reflect - Some common mistakes… Since most people do not naturally do this with their kids, there are some common mistakes that tend to get in the way. Let’s take a look at those… https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/the-sensible-therapist/connectingwithkids-praise monthly 0.5 2024-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1610240700183-QPGZ10X1984BBNUF0MWC/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Connecting with Kids: Praise https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1610242835978-X5DBBCIB1OJTU6Z1WW3D/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Connecting with Kids: Praise - Yup! That’s right, that one thing is PRAISE! Just think about it for a second…. If I told you to not to touch this fire alarm, what would you be thinking about? Touching the fire alarm! You might be thinking, “well that wouldn’t mean I would press it, I would listen to you.” This may be true - however, our expectations for ourselves and our expectations for our kids need to be a little bit different because their brain is not fully formed. Most importantly the “smart” part of the brain that tells them to stop and listen to you (i.e., the prefrontal cortex) is developing and will not be fully formed until at least age 26! This means that they are operating from the emotional and reflexive part of their brain (i.e., the limbic system). Essentially, they are kind of like little lizards running about thinking “TOUCH THE FIRE ALARM”. This is where praise enters in to train the brain to think about things you WANT them to be doing! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1610243622978-ACPMTZV1A2LHP9HVZYQC/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Connecting with Kids: Praise - Praise…seems easy enough… At first glance, it is pretty easy, but there is a specific kind of praise that helps kids do more of want you want and there are also things that get in the way of using it. Let’s start with the difference between unlabeled praise and labeled praise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1610246747403-P7311TDX84UQR3GFBHPB/image-asset.jpeg The Sensible Therapist - Connecting with Kids: Praise - Some Pitfalls… As simple as it seems, I would be mistaken if I told you this was always easy to do. Let’s look at some things that commonly get in the way of praise… https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/covid-summer-recoveryblog daily 0.75 2026-01-05 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/covid-summer-recoveryblog/covid-summer-recovery-week-1-what-just-happened monthly 0.5 2024-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1622699791764-IF3CAH0YLGWXG4B0WEFL/GettyImages-1312570488.jpg COVID Summer Recovery - COVID Summer Recovery - Week 1: What Just Happened? - If any of the activities seem difficult for your child to either understand or they seem highly emotional while completing them, please considering reaching out for professional support as this may be an indication they need additional help. https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/covid-summer-recoveryblog/covid-summer-recovery-week2-are-you-in-this-moment monthly 0.5 2024-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1622699791764-IF3CAH0YLGWXG4B0WEFL/GettyImages-1312570488.jpg COVID Summer Recovery - COVID Summer Recovery - Week 2: Are You In This Moment? - If any of the activities seem difficult for your child to either understand or they seem highly emotional while completing them, please considering reaching out for professional support as this may be an indication they need additional help. https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/covid-summer-recoveryblog/covid-summer-recovery-week3-have-you-been-taking-care-of-yourself monthly 0.5 2024-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1622699791764-IF3CAH0YLGWXG4B0WEFL/GettyImages-1312570488.jpg COVID Summer Recovery - COVID Summer Recovery - Week 3: Have You Been Taking Care of Yourself? - If any of the activities seem difficult for your child to either understand or they seem highly emotional while completing them, please considering reaching out for professional support as this may be an indication they need additional help. https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/covid-summer-recoveryblog/covid-summer-recovery-week4-what-am-i-feeling monthly 0.5 2024-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1622699791764-IF3CAH0YLGWXG4B0WEFL/GettyImages-1312570488.jpg COVID Summer Recovery - COVID Summer Recovery - Week 4: What Am I Feeling? - If any of the activities seem difficult for your child to either understand or they seem highly emotional while completing them, please considering reaching out for professional support as this may be an indication they need additional help. https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/covid-summer-recoveryblog/covid-summer-recovery-week5-connected-or-separate monthly 0.5 2024-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1622699791764-IF3CAH0YLGWXG4B0WEFL/GettyImages-1312570488.jpg COVID Summer Recovery - COVID Summer Recovery - Week 5: Connected or Separate? - If any of the activities seem difficult for your child to either understand or they seem highly emotional while completing them, please considering reaching out for professional support as this may be an indication they need additional help. https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/covid-summer-recoveryblog/covid-summer-recovery-week6-where-do-emotions-go monthly 0.5 2024-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1622699791764-IF3CAH0YLGWXG4B0WEFL/GettyImages-1312570488.jpg COVID Summer Recovery - COVID Summer Recovery - Week 6: Where Do Feelings Go? - If any of the activities seem difficult for your child to either understand or they seem highly emotional while completing them, please considering reaching out for professional support as this may be an indication they need additional help. https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/covid-summer-recoveryblog/covid-summer-recovery-week7-think-feel-do monthly 0.5 2024-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1622699791764-IF3CAH0YLGWXG4B0WEFL/GettyImages-1312570488.jpg COVID Summer Recovery - COVID Summer Recovery - Week 7: What Am I Thinking? - If any of the activities seem difficult for your child to either understand or they seem highly emotional while completing them, please considering reaching out for professional support as this may be an indication they need additional help. https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/covid-summer-recoveryblog/covid-summer-recovery-week8-what-to-do-with-a-problem monthly 0.5 2024-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1622699791764-IF3CAH0YLGWXG4B0WEFL/GettyImages-1312570488.jpg COVID Summer Recovery - COVID Summer Recovery - Week 8: What To Do With A Problem? - If any of the activities seem difficult for your child to either understand or they seem highly emotional while completing them, please considering reaching out for professional support as this may be an indication they need additional help. https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/covid-summer-recoveryblog/covid-summer-recovery-week9-is-my-kid-okay monthly 0.5 2022-03-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1622699791764-IF3CAH0YLGWXG4B0WEFL/GettyImages-1312570488.jpg COVID Summer Recovery - COVID Summer Recovery - Week 9: Is My Kid Okay? - If any of the activities seem difficult for your child to either understand or they seem highly emotional while completing them, please considering reaching out for professional support as this may be an indication they need additional help. https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/covid-summer-recoveryblog/covid-summer-recovery-week10-who-is-my-kid monthly 0.5 2024-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1622699791764-IF3CAH0YLGWXG4B0WEFL/GettyImages-1312570488.jpg COVID Summer Recovery - COVID Summer Recovery - Week 10: Who Is My Kid? - If any of the activities seem difficult for your child to either understand or they seem highly emotional while completing them, please considering reaching out for professional support as this may be an indication they need additional help. https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/trauma daily 0.75 2024-05-13 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/home daily 1.0 2026-02-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/2329eb7f-55b3-47b9-8076-13ec7f67836b/1-8x10-d_LoRes.jpg Home - Welcome Hi! Welcome to Sensible Healing Therapy! My name is Alyssa Davis and I am an EMDR Certified, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist that specializes in treating kids, tweens, and teens (and adults) with trauma. Now that the formalities are out of the way, I’d like for you to get to know a little more about me so you can decide if I am the right person for you! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1612226572886-HOV8VEZ99SZJ1AFIJ88S/image-asset.jpeg Home - Where you are now Bad things are bound to happen in life - this is just part of being alive. Sometimes it is easy for us to bounce back to our normal lives and then there are those other times where it seems as if we are stuck on a rollercoaster of emotions with no end in sight. Learning about why this happens can be the first step to slowing down this confusing experience. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1714081576690-CPP2OVVKCPG0GJB2VUNF/image-asset.jpeg Home - Get to where you want to be Finding the right therapist during or after a traumatic event can help you get back to where you need and want to be. 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Book a free 20-min consultation! https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/working-with-teens daily 0.75 2026-01-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1611450266957-O936LFYKJA2OX47A686Y/image-asset.jpeg Working with Teens https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1611453439745-IO6AUO1ITNGJ7FMM5DNC/image-asset.jpeg Working with Teens - Are you ready to leave trauma behind? Book a free 20-min consultation https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/pcit daily 0.75 2024-05-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1611454632039-TSZG9MEXPWK1XGPIZAIP/image-asset.jpeg PCIT https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1611457722976-OWZHL7UXH41HKQ3QFECV/UC+DAVIS.jpg PCIT Learn more about PCIT! https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/emdr daily 0.75 2026-01-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1611466842196-TVAJCEVZIXL32CX5UFD2/image-asset.jpeg https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/dbt daily 0.75 2024-05-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1611466894438-VCTTKJV2WNOFV1FVS547/image-asset.jpeg DBT https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/covid-summer-recovery daily 0.75 2026-01-05 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/working-with-adults daily 0.75 2024-05-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1705526384197-M8VTJ38VKPGHF8TN95NV/image-asset.jpeg Working with Adults https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1611453439745-IO6AUO1ITNGJ7FMM5DNC/image-asset.jpeg Working with Adults - Are you ready to leave trauma behind? Book a free 20-min consultation https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/resources daily 0.75 2026-01-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/1707687821407-OYHDL9VWFCLUHS16V00O/image-asset.jpeg https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/alyssa-1 daily 0.75 2026-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fdffbebddae52106f23f88b/d7b5f9d6-35e5-434c-9324-8251f8e0a428/Alyssa%2BDavis%2BCounseling%2BPurple%2B1.jpg Alyssa (Copy) https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/about-new daily 0.75 2026-03-04 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/insurance-check daily 0.75 2026-03-05 https://www.sensiblehealingtherapy.com/get-started daily 0.75 2026-03-03