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How To Talk To Your Child About The Hamas-Israel Conflict Technology is ubiquitous, and as a result, our children are constantly being bombarded with information. Certainly, we as parents can do our best to make sure that the information our children view is age-appropriate, however, sometimes that’s not enough or sometimes the stories our children learn about are confusing and upsetting. While it’s one thing to roll up your sleeves to talk about the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce romance with your 9-year-old daughter asking questions, discussing terrorism and conflict/war are much more complex subjects to manage. As a child [...]

Teenagers and Cannabis: Understanding the Far-reaching Impact Cannabis became fully legal on July 1st, 2021 in Virginia for adults 21 years and older.  Cannabis is legal medicinally and recreationally, however, a final date for recreational or commercial sales has yet to be determined by the state.  Currently, 38 states, three territories and DC allow the medical use of cannabis, and 23 states, three territories and DC permit commercial sales.  As parents, whether we like it or not, cannabis is here to stay in Virginia, and we’re going to be seeing a heck of a lot more of it once commercial [...]

Does Social Media Cause ADHD in Children and Adults? The Impact of Social Media on ADHD: Separating Fact from Fiction Social media is ubiquitous, and while it’s a great way to stay connected to important others, to get news and to learn about what’s going on in the world, overusing or over relying on social media has become a problem for many people.  As a psychologist, I am often asked about the impact of social media overuse and whether or not it can cause ADHD.  With the rise of social media and technology, it's important to separate fact from fiction [...]

Navigating the path to independence in young adults By Michael Oberschneider, Psy.D. The phenomenon of young adults struggling to transition into the next stage of life has become increasingly common in recent years, and this “failure to launch" or "failure to thrive" can have profound consequences. As a psychologist, I frequently work with parents who are concerned about their adult children's inability to mature and become independent. These parents frequently ask, “What did we do wrong?” or “How did we get here?” There can be multiple factors that contribute to young adults being delayed or off track developmentally. First identifying [...]

The Psychology of Your Child’s Halloween Costume Hero, monster, princess or something sexy? A costume can say a lot about a child's development Halloween is one of the most fun times of the year for children. The meaning of Halloween runs deep in our culture — it’s a time to celebrate, a time for treats, a time for being spooky or silly, a time for costumes, and it’s a time to enjoy family and friends. When we think back to some of our fondest childhood memories, most of us have at least one or two Halloween moments. And what costume [...]

Four tips to surviving summer with kids back from college Sharing the nest again and navigating how to function as a family when your son or daughter returns home from college can be challenging. Sure, your child will always be your child, and you may believe that you still know what’s best for them as mom and dad, but with every semester or quarter that passes they’re aging and separating from you. From freshman year to senior year of college, your kids are taking the steps they need to take to become more independent as they enter young adulthood. At [...]