Navigating Mardi Gras Safety with Your Teen: Tips for Parents
As an educator, school-based mental health counselor, and now a counselor in private practice, my journey has equipped me with a wealth of experience in supporting children, teenagers, and families. Recognizing the significance of prioritizing safety, especially during vibrant celebrations like Mardi Gras, I’m dedicated to sharing practical tips and strategies with parents to ensure […]
The College Application Process: How to Help Your Teen Navigate the Stress
The College Application Process: How To Help Your Teen Navigate The Stress The high school years are significantly more difficult for teens to navigate now as compared to 20 years ago. In 2023, the stakes are high with teens focused on straight A’s, multiple extracurricular activities, sports, volunteer hours, and more. All of the […]
Parenting & Grief: Helping Children Cope with Loss & Death
Primrose Pink Wildflowers, a.k.a. Cat Heaven This time of year brings vibrant patches of primrose pink wildflowers in abundance scattered about our city. My mind quickly revisits a bittersweet experience of managing the loss of a beloved cat with the help of my mother. She was driving our car, and I was holding a box […]
Baby + Us = Big Changes
How does a baby really affect the roles, trust, and emotional responsiveness of a couple? Having a baby, particularly the 1st child, affects the marriage. I mean, it really affects the marriage. There was a movie a few years back called “Deep Impact.” It was about a large meteor striking the earth causing cataclysmic tsunamis, […]
Coping with Teen Anxiety
Teen anxiety is an increasingly common problem and can have a significant impact on a young person’s mental health. It can manifest itself in myriad ways, from difficulty sleeping to feelings of social isolation or depression. Teens may also find themselves unable to concentrate or focus on tasks, suffer from low self-esteem, and feel overwhelmed […]
A Letter From Dr. Reshelle C Marino
Are you a parent that has concerns about your child’s performance in school? Do you wish your child’s school could do more to help your child succeed? Do you feel like your child only has problems at school but you don’t know what to do about it? Do you find it a challenge to communicate […]
Do’s and Don’ts for Conversations on Kid-Free Date Nights
This blog exceprt was originally published in an article by Amy Gabriel titled “Move over Zoom and Facetime, Date Night is Back” for New Orleans Magainze, September 2022. You can read the digital article here. The kids are happy at home with the babysitter, and you are out on the town with your significant other. How […]
How can parents better prioritize their children’s mental health this school year?
As an adolescent therapist, I often make light of the fact that my work schedule revolves around high school football coaches or dance team competitions. I half-jokingly express my frustration to others that the biggest threat and obstacle to continuing progress with my clients is a change in their extracurricular activities. My consistent busiest time […]
A Letter of Advice to High School Graduates
Picture This: Your hometown high school has invited you back to graduation. You’ve been asked to give that iconic annual keynote address to this sea of graduates. What would you say to them? Or better yet, like me, you have a kid about to go off to college. What parting words would you like to […]
Things Young Adults Should Understand about Parental Wounds
The family system is the fundamental unit of society, with the parent-child relationship perhaps being the most influential in the group. The parent-child relationship is where we learn the basic but incredibly important parts of being a human person, from how to talk to how to function in the real world. For many people, family […]