by Harper West | Nov 23, 2022 | Parenting
Gina was a typical 8-year-old girl – active, creative, and confident at her soccer games. But when it came to bedtime, she cried, demanded that her parents stay in her bedroom, and repeatedly expressed fears about the dark and burglars. Jamal was a five-year-old...
by Harper West | Dec 1, 2021 | Parenting, Trauma
It can be difficult to know how to support grieving and traumatized teens following an event such as the gun violence episode at Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan. I regularly see clients from this town, which has grown a lot in the past 10 years, but still...
by Harper West | Aug 22, 2021 | Parenting, Shame
Aliesha, 9, had reluctantly followed her parents from the waiting room into my office and slumped into a chair. Her parents immediately launched into a description of her latest behaviors and their concerns about how this would cause her to flunk a grade and be held...
by Harper West | Aug 20, 2021 | Parenting, Shame
Would you believe that I can spot low self-worth and poor shame tolerance even in a child as young as three? It’s true. Sometimes it is obvious. I have worked with three- and four-year old children who say things like: “I’m no good,” and “I’m a bad kid.” These...
by Harper West | Jun 27, 2021 | Parenting
I met the mother, father, and daughter in my waiting room for their second therapy appointment. (This case is a fictionalized composite.) In the 20 seconds it took the family to walk from my waiting room to my office, I heard the mother say all of this to the child:...
by Harper West | Jan 19, 2021 | ADHD, Parenting, Trauma
I’m sharing this fascinating article on a study about the impact of a father’s trauma history on a child’s mental health. “New research from Romania has demonstrated a clear correlation between adverse childhood experiences in fathers’ lives...
