Learn more about Molly Shaffer, our trauma therapist.

Learn more about Susie’s approach to counseling kids, teens, and college students struggling with anxiety here in St. Louis!

Sometimes parents need more than self care and getting support with “developing strategies and skills to cope” is super helpful!

Parenthood is, no doubt, one of life’s most intense bags of extreme emotional highs and lows…What we may not anticipate, however, is the difficulty of handling our own emotions during our child’s most difficult moments.

How can you prepare for school this year?

It’s hard to plan for anything these days and you might notice feelings of anxiety or overwhelm more often than you have before. With school back in session, your kids are likely feeling this too. School looks very different from years past, so the typical anxieties you might be used to managing have likely changed as well.

Give yourself time to adjust.

We all get used to certain routines and schedules and for a lot of families, going back to school in the fall is a part of a schedule that everyone is familiar with. This year though, you might be adjusting to virtual learning, shorter class days or weeks, smaller class sizes, etc., and those changes can bring a lot of anxiety.

When your child is angry, anxious, or easily overwhelmed, you do your best to support your child - and it’s important to get the support you need too!

Today, as part of our Helping Professionals Interview Series, we are excited to share our interview with Stacy McCann, MSW, LCSW. Stacy guides parents to better understand how their own unique histories effect their parenting and how to use that knowledge to strengthen their relationships with their kids.

I work closely with parents of kids as young as 4, and I often have parents ask me if their expectations are too high. Should I expect my 5 year old to help with chores? Should my four year old know not to do that? Each child is different, and you will end up shaping your expectations around your children as they grow and develop. But below are a few unrealistic expectations for children that I've seen or heard in my practice:

How differently does anxiety manifest itself in girls versus boys? What accounts for such differences?

This May, I hosted a #HealthAMA ("ask me anything") allowing people to ask me any questions on temper tantrums and anger management for kids. You can find all the questions right here, and this summer I've pulled a few to expand on.

Gender differences in anger.

Based on my experience, I often see more boys with anxiety brought in for "anger management" than girls

January 1st is a time for resolutions.

In fact, we originally posted this series on insta and facebook on the New Year’s Eve. But the reason we want to check in with you now, mid-Jan, is to see how those goals are going. Plus, we couldn’t resist posting on 1/20/2020!

If you’re like most people, you’ve probably dropped that resolution you made at the start of the new year. This is ok! It’s super common! But there’s a way to make sure your goals stick. And we’d love for you to pick up the mantle and give it another try.

To make your goals more attainable, and to increase your follow through, make your goals SMART - specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time sensitive. We will be talking more about each step below to really break down how to make your goals and resolutions easier to follow through on.

Great for kids, parents, and college students - especially when you have perfectionism and anxiety and a high drive to succeed (hi, is this you? If so, we’d love to work with you!)

Learn more about us and why we think Compassionate Counseling St. Louis is awesome!

As a parent, it’s so easy to get overwhelmed when your child is melting down. Today’s guided meditation is designed to help you build some emotional resiliency so you can COPE.

When does anxiety in children become a medical concern?You may notice that your child is a worrier. When you schedule a babysitter, your kid has prepared a list of interview questions to ask the sitter before being ok with it. When you're 5 minutes late to picking them up, they're in tears. They need to walk through any potential problems and come up with five solutions whenever faced with a new situation. You're happy to help! But when is it too much?

Anxiety disorders are a huge concern in college.

Stress disorders, self-harm, overwhelm and depression all become big concerns in college due to a couple of different factors: age, brain development, and the stress and independence that go hand in hand with starting college.

And rather than you being able to monitor any big changes in your student, you’re not there.

You only hear and know as much as they want to tell you. Whether you have serious concerns, or you just feel like you’re out of the loop, it’s tough to parent your college student and feel like you’re actually having an impact.

Parents will often reach out to me about their new college students, sharing concerns like:

• My college student never calls!

• I’m worried my college student has anxiety and depression.

• I’m not sure if my college student can manage stress.

• Is my college student depressed/anxious/too angry/too overwhelmed?

• And the ultimate concern: I don’t know how to help my college student deal with everything that’s going on.

It’s tough to figure out how to parent and deal with these concerns when your student no longer lives in your house. And even if you’ve noticed signs of anxiety in the past, the game plan can be so different when your child is in college vs. when they were at home.

So what can you do?

When your child is angry, anxious, or easily overwhelmed, you do your best as a parent - and sometimes it feels like too much. That’s where parent coaching comes in.

Parent coaching is a way for you to get direct feedback and advice on how best to manage your child’s behaviors and emotions, along with recognizing the family dynamic. It’s like having a really supportive therapist just for your parenting. And we have a fabulous resource online and in St. Louis - Nicole Schwarz!

For some kids with anxiety and anger management, individual therapy is the best bet. We can work individually to help them build the skills they need to manage their emotions before they feel too big.

For other kids, individual therapy helps, but it’s not enough on its own. That’s where parent coaching comes in.

Read below to learn more about how Nicole works with parent coaching tailored to parenting styles.

I often refer people who are parenting anxious children to Nicole, because of her understanding and empathetic approach. I’m so excited to share this interview with you all!

Why did you choose to become a Parent Coach in St. Louis?

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Parent Coach. I started my career as a therapist working with children, teens, and families because I wanted to provide kids with tools and support early in their development. However, over time, I realized my favorite way to support kids was to empower their parents. I no longer provide mental health therapy, instead focusing on giving parents tools and education through Parent Coaching.

What kind of treatment do you provide?

I provide Parent Coaching which is personalized support, education, strategies, and encouragement to help you parent well through the difficult stages of child development. My coaching philosophy is rooted in Positive or Respectful Parenting, which focuses on brain research, connection, and teaching - rather than consequences or punishments.