Staff, APPS

Dr. Mike, My husband and I have done very well financially.  Neither of us came from money or inherited anything substantial, but we’ve worked hard and have acquired quite a bit of wealth.  For context, we live in a $12,000,000 house, and we have other properties, several businesses and a large amount of money saved and invested.  My husband is adamant that we should not leave a dime to our kids, and he believes they should instead work for everything like we did.  While I agree with him that our children need to find their own way in life, and [...]

Dr Mike, Our 18-year-old daughter who is a senior in high school, is addicted to her phone, and we don’t know what to do.  The phone is always in her hand, and even though my husband and I don’t disapprove of most of what she’s doing with the phone, we also think she’s on it way too much.  We’ve tried to set limits, we’ve taken it away, we’ve talked to her, but nothing has worked.  In fact, everything we’ve tried so far has led to tension, disagreements or really bad fights.  Her position is that she gets great grades, she [...]

What Is Collaborative Divorce And Is It Right For Me? Divorce is an inherently tumultuous life event that significantly impacts the emotional well-being of all those involved.  And, the approach to divorce can greatly influence the outcome, with collaborative divorce offering a less adversarial alternative to traditional litigation. This method, focusing on negotiation and mutual agreement outside of court, holds the potential to mitigate the emotional strain typically associated with divorce.  But what is collaborative divorce, and does it really work? Simply put, collaborative divorce is a process where divorcing couples agree to negotiate a settlement without going to court. [...]

What To Do When Your Child Is Pushed Out Of Their Friend Group Dr. Mike, - Our 11-year-old daughter (5th Grade) is having a terrible time at school this year because she’s being pushed out of her longtime friend group.  There wasn’t an incident as far as we know, but she doesn’t get invited to play and hang out much, she’s not invited to many birthday parties, and she’s being put down or left out on social media.  We’ve had many a tearful night, and our daughter is now wanting to transfer schools since the friend group goes to the [...]

Fentanyl Strikes Loudoun County:  What Every Parent Needs to Know Nine students from Park View High School in Sterling, Virginia overdosed on suspected Fentanyl use this school year with eight of the overdoses occurring in just the last three weeks.  It was reported in the news that three of those students overdosed while at school and were administered Naloxone, and two of the students additionally received CPR.  Naloxone (brand name: Narcan) is a drug that is used to treat opioid overdoses. As a clinical psychologist in Loudoun County, I’ve seen, countless times, the devastating impact of drugs on our children [...]

Is Emotional Cheating Real? What To Do If It Happens In today's interconnected world, relationships have evolved in myriad ways, and while physical infidelity is well recognized, another form of betrayal, often less visible but equally impactful, has emerged -- emotional cheating. As a psychologist in private practice, the topic of emotional cheating or emotional affairs comes up often.  Just this past week, a client’s girlfriend became upset when she discovered that the client “liked” his ex’s social media post.  Over the years, several of my married clients have also shared with me that they’ve secretly reconnected with an old [...]