Chances are if you landed on this webpage, you are concerned about a young adult who still lives at home and does not seem to be moving forward in life. Maybe that person is you, or maybe it’s a son or daughter, or someone in your extended family. That young person may have been diagnosed […]
Our Latest Blogs
09
May
May
Today’s post comes to us from blogger, Erica Silva. Her article breaks down teenage depression and its treatment options into simple terms that any teenager could find helpful. If you are a parent of a teenager who might be experiencing depression, this post could help him or her better understand what is going on with […]
11
Apr
Apr
Last year I wrote an article about young adult anxiety which quickly became one of our most popular posts on rtor.org. The article, Failure To Launch: 9 Tips for Managing Anxiety in Dependent Adult Children, is based on a podcast by Yale anxiety expert, Dr. Eli Lebowitz. Since it first appeared in 2016, many people […]
21
Mar
Mar
Social media is rapidly changing the way we communicate. From staying in touch with everyone you’ve ever met on Facebook to sharing your opinions on Twitter and photographs of your life on Instagram, how people connect to each other is much different from how it was even five years ago. With younger generations growing up […]
07
Feb
Feb
**Updated 11/21/24** Eating disorders are serious illnesses with some of the highest mortality rates of any mental health condition. If you know or suspect you have a loved one suffering from an eating disorder, it is essential to help them access treatment and support them during their recovery. An eating disorder-specialized therapist, psychiatrist, or dietician […]
15
Dec
Dec
Today’s post comes to us from Certified CBT Psychotherapist and Family-Endorsed Provider, Elise Munoz, LCSW-R. Her article answers the many questions parents might have about getting their child started in therapy. Thank you, Elise, for sharing your knowledge with us at www.rtor.org. — Veronique Hoebeke, Associate Editor If your child or teenager is struggling with emotional, […]
06
Dec
Dec
Holiday meals with my family usually include an empty setting at the table. That place is not there to honor someone who has passed away or a member of the military who is stationed overseas and couldn’t make it home for the holidays. It is reserved for a family member, my brother, who comes to […]
01
Dec
Dec
Today’s special blog post for the holidays was co-written by Randi Silverman, CEO of the Youth Mental Health Project (YMHP) and Wendy Ward, Executive Director YMHP. Randi is the co-writer and producer of the multi-award winning film No Letting Go. Wendy has extensive corporate experience in advertising, marketing and human connections, and in the last […]
25
Nov
Nov
Have you ever faced a mental health crisis with someone in your family: a child who refuses to go to school because of intense anxiety; a teen who uses drugs and has started showing signs of a thought disorder; a sibling, spouse or parent who is severely depressed and no longer has the will […]
15
Nov
Nov
Are you concerned that you or someone you care about has an untreated mental health problem that needs attention? Or perhaps you are worried that the treatment provided isn’t helping. Effective treatment and the path to recovery begin with a careful assessment of the problem. That’s why an accurate diagnosis is so important. There are […]
08
Nov
Nov
Do you have a friend or family member who is in therapy? Maybe you’re new to the concept of mental health and aren’t familiar with what your loved one in therapy is going through. You might not be sure what to say when the topic arises. Here are some basic phrases you should avoid when talking to […]
01
Nov
Nov
The Holiday season is heading our way and that means two things: family gatherings and food. You might not have seen some of your friends or family members in a long time. Maybe you live far away or they recently went away to college. Regardless, you might have noticed some changes about them that raise […]
24
Oct
Oct
One of my most treasured keepsakes from my father is a letter he wrote me from the hospital. I was six or seven, and in his letter of just a few sweet sentences he told me that he would be away for a while and that it was up to me, his oldest son, to […]
18
Oct
Oct
When someone has a serious mental health disorder such as schizophrenia we always seem to know when things aren’t going well. It can be much harder to tell when things are going right. This final installment in our series on cognitive therapy looks at the results of treatment and how to know whether it is working. […]
04
Oct
Oct
In my first article in this series on cognitive therapy, I explained Why Cognitive Therapy Works for People with Schizophrenia and Other Serious Mental Illnesses. In Part 2 of the series, I give some examples of problems cognitive therapy can help with and who can benefit. Key Points from last week’s post on Why It […]
20
Sep
Sep
Remember secret agent, Angus MacGyver, who always knew how to fix any situation he got himself into with so much as a paperclip? Nowadays, the character is so well-known that we refer to the ability to fix anything as MacGyvering. While MacGyver made for great TV back in the 80’s, the idea of always being able to […]
28
Jun
Jun
Thirty minutes into the family mental health drama No Letting Go 14-year old Tim (Noah Silverman) tosses aside his homework and shouts at his mother, “You don’t get it. I don’t need to go to school anymore.” He has been in therapy since he was ten and seems to have paralyzing anxiety that prevents […]
27
May
May
A few weeks ago while my wife was sorting through memorabilia from our early parenting years she found a picture my son, the budding artist, drew of his beloved father. That’s right, it’s a drawing of “Ass of the Century” Homer Simpson, AKA Jay Boll in “disgise”, […]
12
May
May
*Updated 9/24/2024* Have you noticed a family member beginning to act strangely? Do they believe that someone is trying to hurt them when there’s no apparent danger? Or maybe they’ve started following a complex belief system you can’t understand? If so, your loved one might be experiencing psychosis. Understanding psychosis and the disorders that cause […]
07
Apr
Apr
In honor of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Awareness Month, today’s guest blog post comes to us from Matt Abbasfard from Northbound in Newport Beach, CA. He discusses the warning signs of heroin and opioid addiction and the importance of seeking help for a loved one who might be struggling with a substance use disorder. Heroin […]
03
Mar
Mar
This week I call your attention to the problem of “Failure to Launch” (FTL) in young adults. I’m not referring to the awful 2006 movie Failure to Launch starring Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker. In the Hollywood version of FTL a handsome, fun-loving yacht salesman who lives with his parents at age 35 has […]
21
Jan
Jan
Dear Readers, Welcome to my new blog, The Family Side. For the past year and a half I have been blogging on www.rtor.org under the title of Eunoia: Thoughts on Healthy Thinking. In my first post of May 2, 2014 I described my purpose for the blog: “to bring you news about best practices, research […]
18
Nov
Nov
The holidays are supposed to be a time of relaxation, good food and family fun, right? Well that isn’t always the case. Google searches for “family fights” and related search terms always increase right around Thanksgiving and the Winter holidays. Expectations and stress can be high around the holidays and if you or a loved […]
It’s late August. Interstate 95 in the Northeast is actually moving during morning and evening rush hours as workers ditch the daily commute for one last vacation of summer. Meanwhile, the stores are full of parents and their children shopping for new clothes and school supplies. Labor Day is late this year, but in […]
Vacations are supposed to be a time for rest and relaxation in the company of those we love. So why does “vacation” appear as a stress-inducing event on the Life Change Index Scale, otherwise known as “The Stress Test?” As much as we cherish the memories of family vacations past, the actual experience of going […]
03
May
May
Last night, about 175 Laurel House supporters gathered at the Woodway Country Club in Darien, CT to watch the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby, bid on items to benefit the Stamford-based non-profit, and honor this year’s “Champion for Recovery” Dr. Alan Barry, Commissioner of Social Services for the Town of Greenwich. They also watched […]
07
Jan
Jan
A few weeks ago I received a call from a distraught mother, concerned about her 43-year-old son with bipolar disorder. He was in the manic phase of his bipolar disorder and displaying worrisome behavior. The last time she called emergency services, the police tasered him in her home, arrested him and dragged him away in handcuffs. […]
08
Dec
Dec
As the holidays approach and cold weather sets in, my mind drifts back to an amazing gift my wife and I received from a friend in the middle of last summer. I’ll call it the gift of parenting support. That may not sound like much, but to my wife and me, struggling to raise a […]
28
Oct
Oct
Last week I was speaking with a colleague in mental health about a recent psychiatric crisis with a member of my family. We both agreed that in such situations, it’s important for families to have a trusted professional (or team of professionals) to turn to for help. My colleague stated that the crisis clinician’s job […]
17
Oct
Oct
Two weeks ago my wife and I attended a talk by Dr. Eli Lebowitz of the Yale Child Study Center, as part of Laurel House’s Family Seminar Series. Dr. Lebowitz is an expert on childhood and adolescent anxiety, and co-founder of the Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) program. One of the most powerful […]
18
Aug
Aug
It’s mid-August and that time of year again. Having just dropped off my first-born at college a mere ten days ago, the off-to-school drill for first-year students is fresh in mind: Tuition paid, insurance waiver and other paperwork filed New clothes, laptop, mini fridge, school supplies, etc Figure out transportation options while away at school […]
