parenting and child psychology | Parent Training |

Behavioral Management for Defiant Children: Part 2

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In the first part of this series, we discussed seven different myths about parenting. With these common parenting misconceptions cleared up and out of the way, we can begin to build a more effective and stable parenting foundation with Alan Kazdin’s ABCs of parenting: Antecedent, Behavior, and Consequence. Understanding and consistently implementing this method will lead to improved behavior from your children, decreased stress for you, and overall better relationships in your family. Let’s break it down:

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Parent Management Training -Understanding Strong-Willed Children

Behavioral Management for Defiant Children: A Series

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Relentless tantrums, opposition and attitude at every request, always on the brink of the next crisis at home or in public… sound familiar? If you are among the many parents who are at their wits end parenting your “defiant child”, this next blog series is for you. Taking the wisdom from Alan Kazdin, a leading child and behavior psychologist, and his parenting guide, The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child, we will explore his tried and true, research-based parenting technique for approaching difficult children.

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Gender Differences in ADHD | Psychologists | Toms River, NJ | Manahawkin, NJ | Freehold, NJ - Ocean County NJ

Gender Differences in ADHD

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A new study in the Journal of Attention Disorders sheds light on gender disparities in ADHD. The most striking difference is demonstrated in the physical manifestation of the disorder, where girls with ADHD are less hyperactive and show fewer motor responsive issues than their male counterparts.

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Racial Bias in ADHD Evaluations and Diagnosis | Psychologists | Toms River, NJ | Manahawkin, NJ | Freehold, NJ - Ocean County NJ

Racial Bias in ADHD Evaluations and Diagnosis

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As our society continues the conversation on racial disparities, it is important to acknowledge and address its place in the psychology profession. Taking a look at ADHD evaluations and diagnosis, specifically, it becomes evident that there is great variance in treatment rates among racial and social groups…

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Cognitive Behavior Therapy | Psychologists | Toms River, NJ | Manahawkin, NJ | Freehold, NJ - Ocean County NJ

Understanding Our Divided Mind: Part 2

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In our last blog post, we discussed the four divisions of our mind that play into our various states of internal conflict, taking a deeper look at the mind and body division and the left and right division. In the second part of this series, we will take a look at the second two divisions: New vs Old and Controlled vs Automatic. 

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Cognitive Behavior Therapy | Psychologists | Toms River, NJ | Manahawkin, NJ | Freehold, NJ - Ocean County NJ

Understanding Our Divided Mind: Part 1

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While we may understand ourselves as existing as singular individuals, it often feels like our wants and needs are pitted against one another, as if there are in fact many individuals running the show behind the scenes. Maybe you are determined to be healthy and productive, but every night is a battle not to have dessert while binging Netflix. We somehow have varied and conflicting interests in our seemingly unified effort to achieve satisfaction and happiness. The truth is, we aren’t as holistic as we perceive ourselves. Taking a deeper look at our mind, we can understand it as divided in four distinct ways: Mind vs Body, Left vs Right, New vs Old, and Controlled vs Automatic. In this blog series, we will cover these four levels of division to explain our relentless experience of internal conflict and all its different manifestations of weakness and temptation. Let’s take a look at the first two:

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Is it Stress or Anxiety? | Psychologists | Toms River, NJ | Manahawkin, NJ | Freehold, NJ - Ocean County NJ

Is it Stress or Anxiety?

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Sometimes it is hard to figure out whether or not we are experiencing stress or anxiety. While both are emotional triggers, stress is typically caused by an external trigger such as meeting a work deadline, getting into an argument with a loved one or chronic illness. Mental and physical symptoms are also present when someone is under stress. Someone might feel irritable, angry, fatigue, muscle pain, difficulty sleeping and gastrointestinal concerns. However, with anxiety, a person experiences persistent, excessive worries that do not go away even when the stressor is removed

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How Social Media effects Anxiety | Psychologists | Toms River, NJ | Manahawkin, NJ | Freehold, NJ - Ocean County NJ

How Social Media Effects Anxiety

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As adolescents and teenagers continue to experience higher rates of anxiety, the mental health condition seems to have become a normal part of growing up. Social anxiety in particular is impacting more young people. And social media maybe largely to blame.

Social anxiety is the intense fear or phobia of social and performance situations, or to put it simply, anxiety over face to face actions.

Why is that? It’s because social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat and even online gaming have taken the place of in-person gatherings. Behind a screen, teens can carefully construct their personas and compose their responses to their friends. When faced with in-person encounters, that sense of security goes away, which can leave them feeling anxious about how to interact with people…

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Anxiety In Teens | Psychologists | Toms River, NJ | Manahawkin, NJ | Freehold, NJ - Ocean County NJ

Anxiety on the Rise in Teens

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Does your teen show signs of anxiety? Anxiety in teens has been on the rise for years. What is the cause for this increase? There is still no direct reason, however, there have been a lot of speculations. Of course genetics, brain chemistry, life events and personality play a role, but there are more thoughts as to why anxiety has been increasing.

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Psychologists | Toms River, NJ | Manahawkin, NJ | Freehold, NJ - Ocean County NJ

Your Guide to Mental Health Professionals

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Seeking out a mental health professional can quickly become a daunting task. With a quick search, you’ll find a lengthy list of options available. Mental health providers fall under three main categories: psychiatrists, psychologists, and licensed therapists, and within each of those categories are subcategories. While all of these options fall under the same umbrella of mental health services, they differ in important ways to address specific needs. We’ve broken down each type of mental health professional so you can pick the option best suited for you with confidence.

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