Ashburn Psychological Services

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 [...]

Managing Anxiety Together 8 Mondays 6/20/22-8/22/22 18 and over 10:30-11:30 am High School 1-2pm Middle School 6:45-7:45pm

Having a mild life crisis as a couple?   “Probably the happiest period in life most frequently is in middle age, when the eager passions of youth are cooled, and the infirmities of age not yet begun; as we see that the shadows, which are morning and evening so large, almost entirely disappear at midday.” – Eleanor Roosevelt The Canadian psychoanalyst, Elliott Jacques coined the term “Mid-Life Crisis” in 1965. He believed that mid-life is a transitional phase rife with uncertainty and emotional conflict, pertaining to one’s sense of mortality. Later research in this area has found that to varying degrees [...]

“Yes Day!” is a recent movie that involves a mom and dad that usually say “no” to their children, but agree to a 24-hour period where their children get to do whatever they want (with some reasonable ground rules).  The family goes on an adventure with all sorts of twists and turns, and the story unfolds with fun, impulsive, and at times difficult emotional moments for them all.  In the end, the children and parents grow from their whirlwind day, and they become closer and better off as a family for having had the experience.  The movie is adapted from [...]