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By Brooke Schwartz, LMSW If the mere mention of the holiday season brings about feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, and dread, you’re not alone. Sure, the holidays are marketed as a cherished time to give, receive, reflect, and be with loved ones. But for many, this couldn’t be farther from reality. Instead, you may find that […]

By Brooke Schwartz, LMSW Here’s the situation: Allie’s on vacation in Prague for the holidays after saving up and planning for the trip. She’s excited for all the fun she’s going to have and proud of her months of saving. But on the first day of her trip, she learns that her grandmother, who’s been […]

By Brooke Schwartz, LMSW Last year, Lady Gaga co-authored an op-ed for The Guardian highlighting the devastating and deadly effects of stigma against mental illness. She begins the article with a shocking statistic: by the time you finish reading her article, at least six people will have killed themselves around the world. “Suicide,” as Lady […]

By Brooke Schwartz, LMSW and Stephanie Dowd, PsyD In past blog posts, we’ve discussed both what emotion dysregulation is and what it looks like in children. Need a refresher? Emotion dysregulation can be defined as the inability to regularly use healthy strategies to diffuse or control negative emotions. It may not come as a surprise […]

By Brooke Schwartz, LMSW In a previous blog, we discussed emotion dysregulation, which is the inability to regularly use healthy strategies to diffuse or moderate negative emotions. It’s common for parents to wonder whether their child is engaging in typical, normative, or age-appropriate behaviors, or whether they are experiencing more persistent emotion dysregulation. This may […]

By Brooke Schwartz, LMSW Mental health concerns are widespread among college campuses. In fact, between 2007 and 2017, the percentage of college students with lifetime psychiatric diagnoses increased from 22% to 36%. If you or your child are in the process of choosing a college with mental health in mind, you may consider the following […]

By Brooke Schwartz, LMSW Have you ever felt so overwhelmed that you’ve found yourself crafting an intricate to-do list? Or perhaps so angry that you joined a boxing class at the gym? Both of these activities are examples of ways in which we regulate our emotions — that is, they’re things we may do to […]

By Brooke Schwartz, LMSW **Disclaimer: This blog post discusses Borderline Personality Disorder in the context of the gender binary due to the limited research that currently exists outside of it. Borderline Personality Disorder transcends gender, affecting cisgender, transgender, and gender nonconforming individuals — anyone can be diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.** Mental illnesses have long […]

By Brooke Schwartz, LMSW Every year we spring forward and fall back, but have you ever wondered what we do in the summer months? Some enter into a “summer slump,” a period characterized by isolation, boredom, or unproductivity, all of which may heighten symptoms of depression and anxiety. Children and adolescents who don’t engage in […]

By Brooke Schwartz, LMSW Summer means warmer weather, outdoor activities, time off from school, and for many…homesickness. The American Academy of Pediatrics defines homesickness as the distress and functional impairment caused by actual or anticipated separation from home and attachment objects (such as parents). As you may know from experience, it’s actually quite common for […]