Posts tagged learning
Age-Appropriate Chores
Age-Appropriate Chores

Some parents believe that chores are something children should be engaging in as early as possible, whereas other parents don’t believe their children should have to complete chores. Whatever works for your family and parenting style is what you do. However, I often encourage parents to assign some chores to their children as it is a great way to increase independence, self-esteem, confidence, and responsibility. Regardless of your stance on chores, there is no reason children cannot help out around the house, especially if it relates to a mess they made.

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Nikki Lacherza-DrewDr. Nikki, psychology, psychologist, therapy, therapist, mental health, mental health awareness, it's ok to not be ok, reduce the stigma, parents, parenting, children, child, kids, teens, adolescents, chores, self-esteem, responsibility, confidence, trust, independence, learning, growth, appropriate, helping, help, support, care, family
Back to School (2021 Edition)
Back to School (2021 Edition)

In a previous post, I talked about going back to school. For some schools, Spring 2021 was a time that we saw many students go back into the physical classroom for the first time since COVID-19 hit. This September, many students no longer have the option but to go back to school full time, in-person, and depending on the school districts, masks may not be required. Here are 10 tips to get you and your child(ren) ready!

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Nikki Lacherza-DrewDr. Nikki, psychologist, psychology, mental health, mental health awareness, reduce the stigma, it's ok to not be ok, school, back to school, September, school days, prepare, children, teens, anxiety, depression, routine, schedules, fall, school year, education, NJ, NY, FL, VT, therapy, therapist, teachers, educate, learning
Back-to-School (finally, for in-person learning)- 10 Tips!
Back-to-School (finally, for in-person learning)- 10 Tips!

I have been hearing a lot of buzz about schools reopening after spring break, or just families being more comfortable and ready to send their children back to school. There is no right or wrong answer here. You do what works best for your child, their needs, and your family. If you do decide to have your child return to school for in-person learning, however that might look for the district, below are some helpful guidelines to make the transition as smooth as possible.

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Nikki Lacherza-Drewdr nikki, mental health, mental health awareness, sleep, sleep hygiene, school, back to school, routines, reduce the stigma, helping, tips, support, caring, parents, children, teens, it's ok to not be ok, changes, anxiety, schedules, COVID-19, learning, parenting, comfort, decisions
Telehealth, Remote Therapy, Online Therapy, Virtual Therapy
Telehealth, Remote Therapy, Online Therapy, Virtual Therapy

One positive from the pandemic is that it has allowed for more access to mental health services. When it comes to remote and online therapy, the use has increased drastically since March 2020. I have talked about this topic many times. Prior to the pandemic, about 25% of my caseload was online. Fast forward to March 2020 and even now, my caseload has been 100% online and will continue to be for the time being. Although remote and online therapy has allowed people to stay connected, it has had some downfalls that many people are not aware of when it comes to online therapy.

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Nikki Lacherza-DrewDr. Nikki, mental health, mental health awareness, therapy, telehealth, remote therapy, online therapy, virtual therapy, reduce the stigma, it’s ok to not be ok, educate, support, caring, communicate, social justice, learning, psychology, psychologist, therapist, COVID-19, pandemic, treatment, rules, regulations, state licensure requirements, APA, accreditation
Why Haven't They Called?
Why Haven't They Called?

“I reached out to so many providers and no one called me back!” The previous statement is one I hear often. Too often actually. I did a small social media post on this back in December 2020 when I heard it 3 times in one day. It’s a pet peeve of mine! I am not placing blame on one party but thought it might be helpful to shed some light from both perspectives. We all need to do better.

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Nikki Lacherza-DrewDr. Nikki, mental health, mental health awareness, phone calls, therapy, telehealth, remote therapy, online therapy, virtual therapy, reduce the stigma, it’s ok to not be ok, educate, support, caring, communicate, learning, psychology, psychologist, therapist, COVID-19, pandemic, treatment, prospective patients, prospective clients, referrals, pet peeve