Will this be the shortest blog post ever written?? The answer is: emotions. Right?? Well, in some sense yes, but there is surely more that complicates parenting than meets the eye. If you are a parent reading this, then you know that and probably winced when you read that first simplistic sentence. While this post is written from a clinician perspective, not a parents, and likely will attempt to categorize some of the complexities into a neat little picture, I also wanted to gain a parental…
Author: lpredy
Private Practice Woes
Dream, dream, dream… Isn’t it the dream of every aspiring young psychologist to be in private practice? Working for yourself, building your own legacy? But what does this really mean? As incredible as it might sound at first glance, a private practice can be an expensive and lonely endeavour, at least in the beginning. If you truly desire that independence, it may still be worth it though! From personal experience, I can say that the independence is a definite plus. I’ve personally been lucky enough in most of my jobs to…
Social Dynamics – Changing Problematic Patterns
Many issues between couples, parent-child relationships, friends, and colleagues, have to do with problematic patterns in communication and interactions. As humans, with human intentions and human needs, we enter most situations with some purpose. Occasionally, this purpose is known by one of the persons in the exchange; but very often a person enters into a conversation or situation without explicit insight into even their own true intentions and needs. Each exchange with another human carries with it numerous underlying factors. Not only are we dealing with the specific words being exchanged, but…
So you’re finally considering the EPPP…
(This post is for clinicians preparing to start studying for this monster licensing exam) Take a few deep breaths…. Stretch your arms… Roll your head from left shoulder to right. And Breath… You CAN do this! If you graduated a while back, and you’re now working full time and finally considering the EPPP, this article is for you. After practicing as a school psychologist for 4 years, I moved provinces for work opportunities and was required to write the EPPP to become registered in the new province. Needless to say,…
How to lose those pesky EPPP/ grad school pounds
We all know it’s true. And you know what? Embrace it! The EPPP or grad school pounds helped us through those rough days of studying and grinding over way too much information. Sure, sure, some might call it stress eating, but I prefer to call it Feeding Baby Neurons. Food helps our bodies operate, and it’s well known that the ideal body weight is a bit of body fat for many things, which includes thinking! Too much fat can slow us down. Yes, I admit it. But there is a…
“Romeo & Juliet” – Emotion, pain, and self-discovery in the teenage years
Emotions run high… And low. Pain is felt profoundly and seems to last forever. Adolescence is a time of change and self-discovery, but for some it is also a time filled with challenging emotions. Emotions that feel all the more powerful because by it’s essence, adolescence lacks the life experience to know that time will heal and things will change. As parents, this is the true message we can impart. Unfortunately, it tends not to be a message received easily through speeches and lectures. Instead reflect with your child on previous…