Archive | Parenting

Actor Mark Ruffalo joined Sesame Street’s Murray to explain the concept of empathy.

Led by: Ronnie Hormel, MA, LLPC, NCC and Jessica Garrett, PhD, LLP, NCSP Dates: Saturday, September 17 and Saturday, October 15 from 11 am – 1 pm Target audience: Middle-school aged females (11-14 y/o) struggling with anxiety and social skills Rationale: Anxiety occurs in both genders, but by the teenage years, girls are much more at […]

BMC therapist Lori Edelson talked with Dr. Deanna Lites of WWJ News Radio 950 about postpartum depression in fathers. She explained that men typically will see onset at about 3 to 6 months after the birth of the baby, and that it’s more common in first time fathers.  Symptoms can include anxiety, loss of interest […]

BMC therapist Lori Edelson talked with WWJ-AM News Radio’s Dr. Deanna Lites about the “dos and don’ts” for parents when handling criticism their child received from a coach. Edelson offered tips on how much parental involvement is needed, and provided ways in which parents can more fully engage in a conversation with their child. Click […]

BMC therapist Lori Edelson talked with WWJ-AM News Radio’s Sandra McNeill about kids experiencing summer boredom and what parents can do about it. Most surprising? Edelson suggests that maybe the summer boredom blues aren’t such a bad thing, after all. Click here to listen to the full segment.

In a single week Pokemon Go has reached more than 7.5 million users. It has sparked controversy because its use led to countless injuries and inspired criminals to set traps for unsuspecting teens. Parents should consider ramping up supervision and monitoring to make sure their teens can enjoy the game safely and responsibly. Some ideas for parents: Rules […]

From Autumn Yates at highya.com:  We’d been searching for ten minutes when the screen showed a rustle in the grass to our right. My guide became instantly excited—would it be a Charmander? A Jigglypuff? We were about to find out. Then, just as we were about to close in on the spot, the Pokémon disappeared. […]

  From Momoandme.com: Parenting skills are the corner stone of building a wonderful parent-child relationship. For parenting tips, being consistent, praising when necessary,and holding your kids accountable are great tips to have as a parent. The most important parenting skill I’ve found is to let them follow their passions, do it their way and fail […]

Birmingham Maple Clinic therapist Dan O’Neil talked with Dr. Deanna Lites of WWJ News Radio 950 about the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between “screen time” and face to face interaction. Listen to the full segment here.

From Rheyanne Weaver of www.empowher.com:  I never knew there was such a thing as Bereaved Mother’s Day until last month, when I lost my first child before he was even born. I had searched for any online groups and pages dedicated to losing a child, clinging on to any reminder that I wasn’t alone in […]

A new ADHD study focuses on treating children with behavioral therapy before medicine, and doctors say it’s an approach that could change the way young children are treated. Click here to view the full segment.

BMC therapist Dan O’Neil appeared on WMYD TV on March 9, 2016 to discuss the impact of too much screen time on a child’s developing brain, and talked about ways parents can help their child moderate screen time exposure. To see the full segment, click here.

From EverydayPowerBlog.com: You have the power to learn and grow from your parent’s mistakes…if that’s what you want to call them… there is no perfect parent and lots of conflicting opinions about parenting… but nonetheless people  seem to  feel the best about their childhood when their parent’s choices, behavior, personality seemed to be a good […]

From Rebecca Desfosse at Care.com: It’s the ultimate parenting test: Your child throws a first-class meltdown in the middle of the supermarket. Do you threaten, coerce and dole out punishments? Or, do you respond with empathy, love and kindness? If you abide more by the latter, you just might be a positive parent. According to […]

A parent expert from Birmingham Maple Clinic appeared on Fox 2 Detroit with Jessica Starr’s Parent2Parent segment to give tips on sending children to school for the first time. Since back to school may give rise to some separation anxiety and worry, Carrie Krawiec, LMFT offered some suggestions to help parents set their children up […]

The first day of school is right around the corner and while some kids and parents are excited, many families may be dealing with anxiety and anticipation for the upcoming year. Back to School Anxiety can impact kids and adults of all age and grade levels. Birmingham Maple Clinic therapist Carrie Krawiec appeared with Erin […]

From the Washington Post: Life has its ups and downs, but parenthood is supposed to be among the most joyous. At least that’s what the movies and Target ads tell us. In reality, it turns out that having a child can have a pretty strong negative impact on a person’s happiness, according to a new study published […]

August has begun, “Back to School” commercials buzz on the TV, and the last long slow “Sunday night” before school is among us. Parents of kindergarteners are getting ready for their children to take the first steps of their educational process, much like their little ones actual “first steps” cause anxiety and excitement for parent […]

Parenting should be based on the child’s chronological age–that is how old they are, their emotional age–that is how old they act and previous experiences with that particular child. If a parent is treating a child younger than they are, younger than they act or out of sync with thechild’s history of behavior and trustworthiness then the parent […]

If your middle school age student is experiencing anxiety about the start of a new school year, the Birmingham Maple Clinic may have a solution for you both. The Clinic is new offering a newly created course designed to help students manage their fears and anxieties about the coming start of school. The A, B, […]

The internet is a buzz with Buzzfeed’s survey results of when parents think their kids should be allowed to do certain things. Buzzfeed polled more than 100,000 parents on when kids should be allowed to join facebook, get their own cellphone, stay home alone, babysit other children, wear makeup, dye hair, get ears pierced, get […]

BMC therapist Julie Balow writes about the importance of both parents making custody and visitation work in the aftermath of divorce.  Recently, an Oakland County family court judge ordered three minor children to a juvenile detention facility for refusing to visit with their father. The reason this case is making local and national headlines is […]

Often following a significant break up, like last week’s divorce announcement by Hollywood power couple Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, a common question is “What to tell kids during a break up?” Birmingham Maple Clinic Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Carrie Krawiec, compiled a few pointers for parents. 1) Do not assume it’s a “one […]

While it may feel like summer has just begun the end of this glorious season is always right around the corner and soon you will see back to school clothes on mall shelves. While the transition back to school is probably stressful for you there is a chance that your child or teen worries excessively […]

Birmingham Maple Clinic Director and Licensed Social Worker, Lori Edelson appeared on WXYZ 20 News and WDIV Detroit to discuss Camp Anxiety. Lori gave tips on how both children and parents can reduce stress to sail kids off to camp smoothly. Important points punctuated by Lori: 1) Manage Expectations Help kids get familiar with camp […]

UPenn freshman Madison Holleran seemed to have it all. Bright, athletic, with many friends, Madison in fact struggled with the pressures of balancing her social, academic, and sporting commitments. From the outside, her social media profiles belied the reality, but things weren’t as perfect as they seemed. To learn more about Madison’s story, watch the video below.

Dina Berdy, LMSW with the Birmingham Maple Clinic writes about the need for children to feel valued in their relationships. We forget that our children need to hear the same things we need as adults in our relationships! We want to feel special, honored, not taken for granted. We don’t want to wait until we […]

In this article on care.com, Birmingham Maple Clinic therapist Carrie Krawiec, LMFT addresses some common feelings parents have when they miss a milestone in their child’s development, such as a first word or a first step, and offers tips on how to cope with some of the overwhelming emotions. Click here to read the article in […]

In this blog article, Birmingham Clinic therapist Dina Berdy discusses the problem of “perfectionism”, why it’s prevalent, and how to help your child have a more realistic outlook. The problem of perfectionism appears more pervasive among girls and women however it’s my observation that this problem is becoming more prevalent with boys and men as […]

Researchers funded by the Child Development and Behavior Branch of National Institute of Health have analyzed data on sleep patterns, emotional distress, and academic functioning of 2700 adolescents from grades 7 to 12 and found that students who stay up later than 11:15 on school nights perform worse in school and have greater emotional distress […]

Birmingham Maple Clinic works closely with parents, schools, physicians, government agencies and the media to help them deal effectively with the many issues facing today’s teenagers.One such issue is Teenage Sexting. Teenage Sexting is the practice of teens sending pics, videos and texts containing nudity or other sexual material to other teens. The most frequent […]

Carrie Krawiec is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist at Birmingham Maple Clinic in Troy, MI and executive director of Michigan Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. She specializes in helping families create adaptive routines and problem solve. As 2014 winds down, Carrie hears from many people seeking assistance in setting, and sticking to, New […]

Last year AAA projected 43.4 Americans would be traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. They estimated about 90% of travelers, or 39 million, would be traveling by car 50 miles or more. If you are the parent of school age children and are going to be stuck in the car together for a great distance […]

Fox 2 News Headlines Birmingham Maple Clinic therapist Dan O’Neil joins Fox2 News Detroit to discuss the legal and emotional ramifications of teen sexting, and offers parents some helpful suggestions to start the conversation with their children.

We’re all familiar with the term Helicopter Parent–those parents that hover over their children constantly fussing and worrying. 
”Lawnmower parents” are the newest and most aggressive breed of helicopter parent. The term refers to those who “clear a path” for their kid, smoothing over any rough patches before their kids even encounter them. These are […]

On Friday October 17, 2014, Dan O’Neil, Birmingham Maple Clinic therapist, spoke with WJR’s Paul W. Smith on the topic of sexting. This interview addressed growing parent concern following the recent legal issues plaguing hundreds of teens in two metro-Detroit communities. Sexting, the act of sending sexually explicit messages, primarily between mobile phones, differs from […]

Dozens of students at three Metro-Detroit schools are facing felony charges after circulating nude photos on their phones. Students at Rochester Adams High School and Van Hoosen Middle School in Rochester Hills and Romeo Sr. High in Romeo, MI are under investigation for “sexting” – photographing, sharing or possessing underage images on their cell phones. These […]

We are living in an age dominated by technology, two working parents , cuts in educational funding, and government determined educational standards.  Educators are overwhelmed, and time for one on one communication with students has diminished.  Need for a tutor is evident when a child expresses frustration about one or more subjects in school, refuses […]

The Birmingham Maple Clinic helps families and children with all aspects of mental health, and part of that is the mental growth of your children.  To further that mission, we are pleased to offer weekly drop-in homework sessions to assist your child with schoolwork in a productive group setting.  The sessions will take place on Monday evenings […]

Today, the Rochester Hills, MI city council will introduce an ordinance to ban the sale and use of e-cigarettes by minors. It will also include a penalty for minors who possess e-cigarettes. Researchers found that adolescents who used the devices were more likely to smoke cigarettes and less likely to quit smoking. The study of […]

Research has long linked cyber bullying and problems like anxiety, depression and self-harm as well as alcohol and prescription drug abuse. In new research published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, the researchers who surveyed nearly 19,000 students between the ages of 12 and 18 from schools in the Midwest also found teens eating dinner with […]

Recent studies reported by The Today Show have linked poor sleep behaviors in teenager years to depression, obesity, automobile accidents, and reduced grades and test scores. The American Academy of Pediatrics have supported a shift to later start times, such as 8:30 am, for middle school and high school students.  While some districts are making […]

North Dakota mother, Cindy Bjerke garnered oodles of online attention when she posted her daughter’s Katy Perry tickets for sale online as a consequence and called her 18-year-old daughter “a spoiled brat.”  While some commended her courage and consistency to follow through with a significant consequence others condemned her for publicly shaming her daughter and […]

Prom is such a special activity for high schoolers. As a therapist to many teenagers I hear a variety of stories about #promposals, searches for dresses, and all of the other excitement and anxiety associated with the big day. After a prom this weekend I asked a particular client “Did you have a great time?” […]

Parents take note: Spain is cracking down on its obstinate teenagers. Under a draft bill approved in the Spanish Parliament, children under 18 years will be legally obligated to do chores and be ‘respectful.’ If the bill is passed, Spanish children will have to help out with the housework ‘in accordance with their age and […]