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After three years of joining efforts with more than 100 high-level health care professionals, attorneys, foster youth/caregivers/advocates, and the Department of Social Services, California has unveiled a sweeping set of guidelines aimed at cracking down on the overuse of psychiatric medication in foster care (de Sá, April 2015). The exhaustive efforts began in 2012 and have given birth to the new proposed measures which recently passed the Senate and are now in the Assembly to be finalized (de Sá, July 2015). [More]

A Los Angeles reporter asked Andrew Macias, 4, if he was excited to start pre-school. With a nice polo and combed hair, the young boy hesitantly said “yes” to the reporter. The following question, however, left little Macias in tears, as the reporter asked, “Are you gonna miss you’re mom?” Macias at first says “no,” but the video catches Macias have a moment of realization that his mom would not be with him at pre-school. This led Macias to break into tears as the fear of leaving his mom finally set in. [More]

As we enter this world as an infant, we grow, we learn, we get older, and we eventually die. It’s the natural order of life. One does not know when he or she will die or how he or she will die, yet we know that day is coming. For some individuals that day comes sooner than later as it did for Bobbi Kristian Brown. On July 26, 2015, Bobbi Kristina Brown the only child from pop icon Whitney Houston and R&B Singer Bobby Brown died that Sunday night. She was 22 years of age. [More]

It seems to be common sense that having someone to lean on in a time of need would be a good thing. And, not surprisingly, social psychological and clinical psychological research has confirmed that. But, in delving into the scientifically based questions of how, why, when and what kind of social support is most beneficial to people in times of stress, mental illness or well-being, social scientists have identified the truly important role that our relationships with others play in our psychological and physical health. When it comes to health, who we know is just as important, if not more so, than what we know. [More]

It is a well-known fact that parenting does not come with a manual of standard procedure (which would indeed be helpful) and at times, various topics arise which make parents second-guess themselves. Recently, the topic of praise and narcissism has been at the forefront of social media and sensationalized pop-culture blogs. However, what is missing is an expert opinion on the matter based upon a combination of empiricism and years of experience with hundreds, even thousands of children. [More]

Vicarious Trauma, also called compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, or secondary stress, is a type of trauma that sometimes occurs for people who helps others through very difficult situations and emotions. We know that this type of trauma is a risk for those in the helping professions, like counselors and first responders. But it is also possible for others who witness a traumatic event, or who are close to someone who has experienced trauma, to develop symptoms of Vicarious Trauma. [More]

When people think of discipline and children, the two things that instantly come to mind are spanking and timeouts. But the reality is that discipline can be much more than just these two options. There is a whole spectrum of ways to change the behavior of a child without only using punishment as a means to mold it. [More]

One of the most detrimental disorders of today's world is Alzheimer's Disease. Many people have heard of it, but they don't know what to do when it rears its ugly head. It can be really frustrating for the person with the disease, and it can be really upsetting to watch the person you love deal with it. But what is Alzheimer's Disease? Why does it affect some people and it doesn't affect other people? What does it do to the mind? How can we help our loved ones and our families to get through what is going on with our loved one's diagnosis? We're going to answer those questions here today. [More]

Mother's with chronic pain often doubt their parenting skills because of their pain conditions. It keeps you from running and playing with your kids; you can't even begin to try and keep up with them. Many days are spent resting in bed or on the couch. Maybe ten minutes of activity here or there but you can often feel inadequate as a mother. The truth is, you shouldn't. The mere fact that you are asking yourself if you are a good mother makes you a good mother. You're willing to take an honest look at yourself. You’re willing to evaluate what is going on in your relationship with your children and you have a desire to make sure you’re there and present with them to the best of your ability. [More]

Children with disabilities are absolutely wonderful people, but they can also be incredibly difficult for the family that has been blessed with them. They come with their own challenges and a number of other things that may come up as a result of the child's disability. [More]