being a parent & therapist Archive

If you know my daughter Honor, or have even seen the photos of her on this blog, you know that she is usually dressed in princess garb.  On rare occasions she will just wear play clothes, but more often than not

A few years back I found this list of questions that are terrific as keepsake questions to ask kids on a Facebook note (if anyone knows the original source, PLEASE let me know!). What is something mom/dad always says to you?

For this, our second month doing the Virtual Book Club hosted by Toddler Approved, we read The Carrot Seed, by Ruth Krauss. If you haven’t read this one (at all, or lately) I highly recommend it.  We have been enjoying it frequently

I’m not sure where I got this idea from originally.  I know it was before I even had kids … maybe from a play therapy conference, supervision, book, or parenting magazine.  But I KNEW that it would someday come in handy.

 “The days are long, but the years are short.” “Parenting isn’t for the weak.” “Cleaning the house while the kids are home is like shoveling when it’s still snowing!” “Don’t you wish kids came with an instruction manual?” “Shouldn’t parents have

One of the hardest parts of being a parent is the constant onslaught of commentary from relatives, friends, total strangers, and the media on how WE should be a parent.  As if we didn’t second-guess ourself almost every step of the

Ever sit there in the middle of a project, cleaning up an especially messy project, or even keeping up your own crafting/playing with kids blog and think, “WHY?  Why am I doing this?  Doesn’t it matter?  Is it important?”  Well, if

I came across this Blog Hop:  Best Projects for Kids 2011 … wanting to join up made me think about my 6 months of blogging thus far.  It’s been so much fun and has really inspired me to do tons of fun projects

I am so excited that I will be starting off the new year in a brand new office.  It was time for a change … so, me and my friend/office mate (Dr Betz King), found a great new location and moved

Previously I posted a list of great “starter” games for kids  … Classic “Board” Games to Play with Three-Year-Olds … and WHY.  Here’s some more for when the other games are mastered!  I would recommend them for children 4 and older

A three step sequence of stating the limit, giving a warning, and enforcing the consequence can be used in a child-centered play therapy session … this simple limit setting model is also a GREAT to use CONSISTENTLY and with FOLLOW THROUGH

When teaching a class on play therapy, I teach and quiz my students on basic skills of being a child-centered play therapist.  I also discuss using these same skills with the parents of my children clients to help decrease problematic behaviors