August 2023

By Ann Douglas, Reviewed by Devon Frye Photo: Unsplash, Psychology Today, August 14, 2023 It's the little things that tend to get to you: the sight of a too-empty refrigerator; the fact that you're no longer tripping over a small mountain of running shoes each time you attempt to enter or exit the front door; and the silence that greets you if you happen to be brave enough to step foot in your child's now-empty room. The transition to an empty nest (or an emptier nest, as the case may be)...

By Suzie C. Romig, Medically Reviewed by Janet Taylor, Photo Illustration: Jillian Sellers/Getty Images, Parents, November 10, 2022 There are some distinct moments in every caring parent's life that can hurt intensely and be filled with so many tough emotions. Remember the first day dropping your child off at "big kid" school? That first scary or serious injury or surgery? Sending your child to college can be painful to a parent's heart, too, and some parents of young teens say they are...

By Anna Booraem, Photo: VH-studio/Shutterstock, Motherly, July 28, 2023 My daughter has been a college student for two years, and I’m still getting used to it. Honestly, it was a little harder than I expected. I wasn’t the mom who cried when I took her to school the first day of kindergarten . But about halfway through that year her teacher had to take me aside and say gently, “You really don’t need to stay for 20 minutes every morning when you drop her off.” So it’s like I’m not super...

Jimmy and Catherine Dunne figured out the secret to downsizing. Jimmy Dunne/Facebook By Annie Reneau, Upworthy, August 16, 2023 When your final child leaves the house for good, it's like a whole new world has opened up. The decades raising babies and children are full, rich, exciting and loud. Your house is filled with laughter and sibling bickering, school projects and kid collections, never-ending laundry and food purchased in bulk. Life is big during those years. It takes up space...

By Steph Coelho, Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Illustration: Paul Lawrence, healthline, July 6, 2023 Big life changes can be overwhelming, but they can also be the perfect time to start fresh. Your kids have flown the coop. All that time you spent nurturing and encouraging them has paid off. They’re off to live life and pursue bigger, better things. It’s a big moment for you. Be proud of a job well done. While becoming an empty nester is no doubt somewhat bittersweet, it’s also...

By Laura Gallant, 8/17/2023, https://positiveexperience.org/blog/ When youth engage in advocacy efforts, they learn that their voice matters, and that they can make a difference. This is one way for children and youth to experience the engagement Building Block of HOPE. A great example of this was demonstrated with a group of 16 children and youths, ranging from 5 to 22, who sued the Montana state government for violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment. This...

Volunteer Kim Palma passes out fresh produce at the Solano County Mobile Food Pharmacy in Fairfield on Aug. 1, 2023. Photo by Semantha Norris, CalMatters By Rya Jetha, Cal Matters, August 9, 2023 Every other Friday, the Stockton Emergency Food Bank hosts two live cooking classes — one in English and one in Spanish. Last week, Brenda Munoz made a classic tuna melt with an orange, romaine and dandelion salad. “Dandelion is completely edible,” said Munoz, holding the small leaves from the...

By Maryam Abdullah, Photo: from article, Greater Good Magazine, August 14, 2023 “I teach sixth grade in an elementary school in Palm Coast, F.L. I want my students to step outside their boxes and meet people that may appear different than they are, but actually share the same hopes, dreams, likes, dislikes, etc. I also want them to be comfortable initiating and taking part in difficult conversations.” “Over the last few weeks, the kiddos have had such an amazing time opening their eyes to...

By Michael Fitzgerald, Illustration: Christine Ongjoco, The Imprint, August 10, 2023 Six years ago, when Zoë Jones-Walton was about to turn 18, she sat in a windowless Dallas-area conference room with dozens of other foster youth. A series of lectures on how to navigate adulthood covered the gamut: How to write a check, how to land a job, how to get an apartment — and how to avoid unwanted pregnancies. That exercise involved placing a condom on a banana to learn about safe sex. “They put...

By Bob Egelko, Image: Marilyn Nieves/Getty Images, San Francisco Chronicle, August 16, 2023 Judges have long been able to order perpetrators of domestic violence to halt the abuse and stay away from the spouse or partner they were abusing. Now a state appeals court says the same rules can apply to those who inflict economic harm, such as depriving a partner of their credit card, car or job. California’s domestic-violence law defines “abuse” broadly to include acts that “destroy the mental or...

By Sandee LaMotte, Photo: from article, CNN Health, August 15, 2023 It’s hard to be neighborly when you’re raising two kids as a single mom and working long hours. That’s where my sheltie, Dancer, came to my rescue. My sweet boy’s cuteness (of which he was well aware) prompted many people to stop and chat with us on our walks in my Atlanta neighborhood. Little did I know that saying hello to people who live near me would be a key to boosting my well-being after my husband died — but that’s...

It is an important matter when discussing licensure and credentialing in the mental health profession. The literature goes on to describe three mental health graduate programs at The University of Houston Clear Lake. These programs are in the area of school and clinical psychology, and family counseling. This university has prepared some of the most professional marriage and family therapy counselors. It is essential for counselors to work together with clinical and school psychologist as a...