Ask Dr. Mike

Dr. Mike, My husband is very strict and hard on our three boys, and he is a big believer in “Commando Parenting.”  Sometimes it’s too much on our kids. The other day I found my oldest who’s 14 years old crying alone in his bedroom during the day after his dad removed his mattress, bedding, clothes, and devices for not getting straight A’s.  Our son had to do his chores and homework to earn his things back – one at a time.  To earn back his mattress, sheets and blanket, our son had to do everything my husband said just [...]

9 Tips to Loving (and Liking) Your Spouse Again Do you find yourself in a marriage where you love your spouse, but privately and deep down inside, you don’t necessarily like him or her very much anymore? If you answered “yes” know that you are not alone.  Research studies have shown that as many as 6 out of 10 married couples are unhappy, and those studies cite several factors contributing to marital unhappiness including: a sex life with diminishing returns, financial stress, preoccupation with technology, dishonesty, a lack of communication, adultery and men taking their women for granted when it [...]

8 Tips to Coping with Seasonal Affective Disorder Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as “The Winter Blues” or “Winter Depression,” is a type of depression that affects over 10 million Americans each year. And research has shown that 10 percent to 20 percent of folks may struggle with a milder form of SAD. SAD is a depression that occurs based on seasons; symptoms for the Winter variant begin in the Fall and dissipate by Spring. Women are impacted more than men, and the condition typically begins around 20. SAD symptoms include: weight gain, oversleeping, having an increased craving for [...]

4 Tips For How To Talk To Your Children About The UVA Shooting As a child psychologist, I mainly address the developmental, emotional, social and behavioral struggles of children, but sometimes the realities of the world enter the therapy space — events that are outside a child’s control and are upsetting.  And, the recent tragic shooting at the University of Virginia has been upsetting to so many children (older and younger) and parents in our community. Several of the teens I see have shared their concerns with me asserting, “I was going to apply to UVA next year,” and “Do [...]

6 Tips To Getting The Most Out of This Summer For Your Kids ”Summer has a flavor like no other. Always fresh and simmered in sunshine.” ~ Oprah Winfrey When I was a kid, a typical Summer day involved me jumping on my bike after breakfast to explore; maybe I’d head over to a friend’s house or to the wooded park near my house with a group of buddies, or perhaps I’d catch up with another group to play a sport.  My friends and I would spend full days outside creating great times.  And when the sun would begin to [...]

The Many Benefits of Playing Soccer for Children and Teens…At Revolution! With warmer weather arriving, this is the perfect time to play soccer.  In addition to being fun, there are many other benefits to playing soccer for children and teens.  Soccer is excellent aerobic exercise and it’s great for motor skills and hand eye coordination.  Soccer also fosters children’s social skills, perseverance, and communication skills. We know from the research that children and teens who participate in team sports do better in a variety of ways.  Athletic children and teens display greater self-confidence and self-respect, possess significantly more leadership skills [...]

Should I Quit My Job?     The Great Resignation, a term coined by organizational psychologist, Dr. Anthony Klotz, characterizes the trend in which large numbers of employees have quit their jobs from Spring of 2021 to the present.  It’s believed that the trend is due to many factors in response to COVID-19 including burnout, being dissatisfied, lower wages and wage stagnation, being at home for an extended period of time, not wanting to return to the work space and reprioritizing one’s work life and personal life balance. So, if people are leaving their jobs in growing numbers, what does that [...]