Tackling Fear
Deciphering anxiety vs fear: Is your child afraid of the dark? Do they often worry about death, wildfires, bad people or you not being there when they need you?
Breaking Mental Health Stigma Together
Mental health struggles can get in the way of daily life. Learn to keep you and your family's mental well-being in check with professional tips and the best support opportunities.
Editor's Picks
Big Changes and Big Feelings: A New Sibling
Adding a child to your family is an exciting, joyful time! Especially if you have other kids who will become big brothers or sisters. Will they be excited?
5 Clues that It’s More than ‘Baby Blues’
The newborn is crying and so is the new mom. A few days after childbirth, it is common for women to feel depressed, anxious or upset as their hormones fluctuate
Recent Articles
Outlook Bright
New surveys show kids today are resilient and optimistic, prioritizing mental health, while experts encourage fostering independence and resilience.
A Season of Reflection
It is all too easy to rush through the days. Cultivate a deeper connection with yourself and your children, embrace a mindful approach to parenting.
Tackling Fear
Deciphering anxiety vs fear: Is your child afraid of the dark? Do they often worry about death, wildfires, bad people or you not being there when they need you?
Fall into Mindfulness
Follow this parent’s guide to embracing presence and peace this fall season. As the leaves change colors and the air turns crisp, fall presents an opportunity
Mindful Beach and Pool Games
Create bonding moments and inner peace as a family for your next beach or pool outing. Gathering with your loved ones at the beach or pool offers great memories
Navigating the Return to Work for New Moms
Local parenting experts share their strategies and support for helping new moms return to paid work. Transitioning back to paid work after a baby is a journey.
Big Changes and Big Feelings: A New Sibling
Adding a child to your family is an exciting, joyful time! Especially if you have other kids who will become big brothers or sisters. Will they be excited?
Being a Mindful Mom
It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being REAL. In a world that often glorifies the idea of the perfect mom, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and inadequate.
5 Clues that It’s More than ‘Baby Blues’
The newborn is crying and so is the new mom. A few days after childbirth, it is common for women to feel depressed, anxious or upset as their hormones fluctuate
Are the Kids All Right?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates 1-in-5, or about 20 percent, of kids experience some kind of mental health issue by the time they graduate.
Looking Forward at OC Education in 2024
Parenting OC asks Ramon Miramontes what trends in education are seeing and how they might impact the 2024 educational Orange County landscape.
Art De-Stress
Help reduce anxiety in kids during the back-to-school season through these fun art projects. Many kids experience anxiety. Different feelings can come up
Mindfulness for Back to School
Tips for getting your family back-to-school ready. Heading back to school after the summer break is a big moment for any child and requires a shift of gear
Navigating Divorce with Children
My husband and I are currently getting divorced and I know that it can be traumatic for kids, so how can I help them work through these kinds of traumas?
Mental Health In Focus
(Photo Courtesy of iStock) What are some warning signs of a mental health crisis in kids and what should I do if I see these signs? All ages In the last few years, I have responded to mental health crises in children as young as 5 years old. I recently encountered a young student who was struggling with suicidal thoughts. In a letter, the student wrote a chillingly specific suicide plan. Then, at the bottom of the page, they jotted down their hopes and dreams for the future. This is what mental health crises look like in children and adolescents:...
The Mental Health Struggle Is Real
(Photo Courtesy of Heritage Oak) Orange County educators discuss how the pandemic has affected their students’ mental health and what they’re doing about it. The pandemic has left its mark on pretty much every field, including, of course, the school system. Being confined to the home without much social interaction has impacted many students within both public and private school systems. We talked to some experts at private and public schools about how they’re working to overcome the mental health struggles presented by COVID-19. Mental Distress "We have noticed that many students have higher levels of anxiety brought about by...
Snoozing to Success
(Photo Courtesy of Leo Rivas on Unsplash) Learn how catching some Zzzs can help you and your kids have a productive new year. There is no doubt that getting enough quality sleep is essential for overall physical and mental health. We could come up with a slogan-based sleep recommendation: “Eight (or more) hours is enough” for school-aged children (with a throwback to a popular ‘70s TV show). However, getting those eight hours can be quite elusive, and the quality of sleep is important as well. As we close out 2022 and usher in the new year, let’s offer some tips...
Halloween Art Family Fun
(Photo Courtesy of Art Therapy) Teamwork makes the artwork: how holiday crafts build family ties. The art process allows the family to strengthen their bond through the creative art process and to appreciate each other’s different perspectives. It also empowers the family’s creative thinking and stimulates the family’s identity as a team. This in turn improves the mental health care and well-being for the family through creativity and art. The creative expression through the therapeutic art process allows the family to gain new insight about themselves and each other. It fosters creative thinking and is a healthy, creative outlet for...
Parenting Through Trauma
(Photo Courtesy of Xavier Mouton Photographie) How do I help guide my kids through the trauma of school shootings? All ages Earthquake drills. Fire drills. These types of emergency preparations have long been part of student life in Orange County schools. These days, unfortunately, many children have something else built into their school schedules: active shooter drills, to prepare them for the possibility of a mass school shooting. The Robb Elementary School shooting in May was the 27th school shooting this year, according to Education Week. There have been over 200 mass shootings in the US this year alone. It...
Strategies for Self-Worth
(Photo Courtesy of YMCA of OC) Creating self-worth in children in a complicated world. A mass school shooting in Texas. An ongoing war in Ukraine. An obsession with social media endlessly capturing our attention. These are just a few of the issues rising to the top of parents’ concerns about raising kids in the 21st century. But if we take a step back and a few deep breaths, we as adults can realize that perhaps we cannot change the world’s problems, but we can create change in our own households. We can offset difficulties that our kids may encounter later...
Social Media and Mental Health
(Photo Courtesy of Emily Wade/Unsplash) How can I keep my kids safe from the mental health risks of social media? All ages Children’s access, reliance and relationship with technology has skyrocketed in the past two years. Online schooling, increased dependence on laptops during the pandemic and isolation have directly impacted how children interact with technology. Many children became reliant on social media to alleviate feelings of isolation. According to a recent poll by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital on Children’s Health, 49 percent of children ages 10-12 and 32 percent of children ages 7-9 are using social media. The primary focus...
Camp, Sweet Camp
(Casa Romantica dance instructor Kylie Travis says she saw kids bounce back from the effects of 2020 during their summer music and dance camps/ Photo Courtesy of Casa Romantica) Considering pandemic-induced mental health concerns in children, summer camp might be just what they need. A major 2021 analysis in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed an unsettling trend about the current children of the world: Depression and anxiety symptoms during COVID-19 have doubled, compared with pre-pandemic estimates. As a parent, you might, unfortunately, already know that. The good news, if you’re also an optimist, is that after more...
Adolescent Mental Health Tips
(Photo Courtesy of Any Lane/Pexels) Learn about three common mistakes parents make with adolescent mental health and how to fix them. Missing Warning Signs The saying kids will be kids is problematic. I mean, I get it: Sometimes kids will be kids. But unfortunately, where adolescent mental health is concerned, adopting this mindset creates significant blind spots for noticing potential warning signs. Historically, 20 percent of children have a diagnosable mental health condition; that’s pre-pandemic; pre-quarantine; pre-new-normal. It’s safe to say that the number of children suffering (even situationally) is dramatically higher. When kids begin to be more aggressive, or...
Mommy Time
(Photo Courtesy of The Mommy Center) New moms coming out of the pandemic may be feeling a strong sense of isolation. Here’s how moms can meet. Postpartum education and support are seldom discussed and frequently neglected. After going through labor, new mothers begin their journeys confused, overwhelmed, and most importantly, alone. Blend in a pandemic to create the perfect storm of anxiety and isolation. According to a recent 2020 study, while the percentage of women already struggling with moderate to high anxiety was 29 percent, that number skyrocketed to 72 percent after the pandemic hit. Prior to the pandemic, 15...
Family Art Skills
Practicing art as a family can offer benefits in overall well-being and self-care. The art process can help families strengthen their bond and better appreciate each other’s varied perspectives. It also encourages the family’s creative thinking skills and stimulates the family’s identity as a team. This in turn can help with mental health care and well-being for the family. The creative expression through the therapeutic art process allows the family to gain new insight about themselves and each other. It fosters creative thinking and is a healthy creative outlet and coping mechanism for the family while allowing the family to...
Mental Health Tips for Teens
(Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Cosens Photography/Unsplash) A teen mental health expert offers parents advice on avoiding the pitfalls of bad habits. The early months of the year are usually a time for reflection, resolutions and starting anew. But with the pandemic clearly seeping into 2021, it can be more difficult for teenagers to embrace a fresh start. That doesn’t mean they can’t try. Breaking bad habits — whether on Jan. 1 or on some random Tuesday in July — is about making conscious decisions. For parents and teachers, this means helping kids stick to routines. And for teens, this means...
A Healthy Mental Space
How educators and parents can help students — and themselves — emotionally cope with pandemic and socio-political stress. A pandemic. Political divisiveness. A storming of the United States Capitol. It sounds like the makings of a political thriller, but it’s the reality Americans have been living for the past year. On a local level, families have been impacted by lockdowns, business and school closures, distance learning, working from home, job loss — and lots of anxiety. It hasn’t been an easy time. Big, world issues are directly impacting the everyday lives of families and educators, and with that comes stress....
New Year Mindfulness
Start the new year off in a more mindful state with these meditation tips. As we all know, a new year can bring with it a whole wave of emotions. Many people look ahead to the next 12 months and make resolutions, vowing to make positive changes in their lives that they did not quite manage the previous year. However, some also reflect on past guilt and regrets from time now passed, disappointed at some of the decisions they made or things they experienced. This mixture of emotions is completely normal! However, it is important that you take the time...
A Mental Reset
The end of 2020 offers a chance to reflect and reset for the new year. As the year comes to a close, we will inevitably reflect on how this year has impacted us and our families. On a broader scale, our country experienced the threat from a global pandemic, political divide and civil unrest, causing widespread stress felt by most parents and children alike. Given the changes these events may have caused in our lives, it is unsurprising that many individuals experienced, and may continue to experience, some level of unease caused by massive uncertainty and a loss of normalcy....
Kids Mental Health During COVID-19
Q: How do I know if COVID-19 is impacting my child’s mental health? All ages During the past several months of the COVID-19 pandemic, school closures, changes in routine, and loss of regular social connections have impacted the overall well-being of many of our kids. In stressful situations, our bodies release stress hormones to help us cope. Toxic stress, the prolonged activation of the stress response system, can occur when a child experiences frequent traumatic events, also known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), without adequate support. ACEs can lead to an increased risk of developing health problems like asthma, diabetes,...
Coping with Stress, Uncertainty, and Anxiety During a Pandemic
Photo by Artem Kovalev on Unsplash With re-openings underway, how do we mentally cope with a normal that is in transition? COVID-19 and recent societal stressors have created a deep uncertainty about our future. As a psychiatrist, I never hospitalized as many patients or seen this level of anxiety and depression in the community as I have seen these past few months. So, when we hear that we can return to work or to school, dine at our favorite restaurants or go to the beach, the message is understandably as jarring to us now as the lockdown was back in...
A Mind in Need
By Victoria Costello Over a decade ago, at age 17, my son Alex lost his ability to finish a whole sentence, wear shoes, get even a half night’s sleep, or face the other kids at school. After getting Alex to a psychiatrist for a mental health evaluation I learned that, like the majority of parents, I hadn’t recognized earlier signs of psychological trouble in my child. Other essential information I was missing was a complete family mental health history. As psychology researcher Dr. Terrie E. Moffitt of Duke University told me later, “Family history can make the difference between ‘treat...
Overcoming Sheltering-In-Place Tantrums
[caption id="attachment_36168" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Photo by Robert Norton on Unsplash[/caption] A family therapist shares some simple steps for handling kids acting out during stay-home orders. Raise your hand if you have been feeling challenged by your children lately. I raised my hand. Did you? Under optimal circumstances parenting is a demanding, albeit rewarding, balancing act of meeting needs, setting limits, getting tasks accomplished, and nurturing minds, bodies and emotions. Under COVID-19 limitations, these duties are even more trying. For starters, parents are managing dual roles as parent (or working-parent) and educator. Yet many no longer have go-to incentives, such as...
Staying Social
[caption id="attachment_35955" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Courtesy of American Camp Association[/caption] While sheltering-in-place, parents can plan ahead for the best ways to re-socialize their kids. Family life has changed dramatically in the wake of the worldwide spread of COVID-19. Without the outlet of school, work, parks and other community activities, local families are experiencing more time together than ever before. Melyssa Zive, program director at Stepping Forward Counseling Center in Yorba Linda, says that now more than ever, effective communication in the household is essential. As a licensed clinical social worker, Zive has over 15 years of experience working with children and...
Mourning Kobe
How to listen to our kids when they lose their icon. When a child’s hero passes away, a part of their innocence is gone forever. When we lost Kobe Bryant, it was a striking reminder that life isn’t just a game. It sometimes is tragically and inexplicably taken away, never to be replaced. Our children often do not have the words or understanding of death and loss, let alone the awareness of the stages of grieving. On an otherwise average Sunday, Jan. 26, many of our local families’ lives changed forever. Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, were an integral part...
Soothing Anxious Children
Q: [All Ages] "My child is anxious. No matter how much I reassure her she insists that her worries are justified. What more can I do to help her?" A: It’s hard to rationalize with anxiety. It’s like speaking an entirely different language that anxiety doesn’t understand. Anxiety is emotional and instinctual, protecting the individual from (often misperceived) threat. Logic simply does not compute. And even if a child knows that there is nothing to worry about, he may still feel anxious. We need a more creative approach. Here are some strategies: Draw the worry: Invite your child to draw...
Child Gaming Disorder
Q: [All Ages] I can’t seem to pry my teen away from his Xbox. Is “gaming disorder” a real addiction and how can I tell if it’s affecting my child? A: Studies have shown that video games and other addictions, such as alcohol and nicotine, affect neural pathways in similar ways: They all lead to an increase in dopamine levels in specific pleasure centers of the brain. While drugs increase dopamine levels far more than video games, gaming can have a similar deleterious effect of “taking over” a person’s life. One of the key ways that gaming addiction differs from...
Grief Relief
Resources for those experiencing the agonizing journey through loss and sorrow. “All the art of living lies in the fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” — Havelock Ellis Whether you have walked with a friend, family member, or neighbor through grief, or you have suffered grief yourself, you know the devastation, pain, and suffering, accustomed to those who have lost someone or something. These local organizations provide support and resources to help guide you in finding comfort and peace in times of mourning. Forever Footprints is a non-profit, volunteer-driven, organization that specializes in supporting parents who have lost...
New Mommy Self-Care
Q: [Adult] I’ve been really sad after giving birth to my daughter three weeks ago, and I cry all the time. Is this normal? A: Having a baby can be one of the most joyous experiences a woman can go through; it can also be one of the most difficult. Having emotional highs and lows are very common in the postnatal time period and can be caused by many things, including hormonal fluctuations, fatigue, and adjusting to the demands of a newborn baby. Typically during this time, a mom may experience mild fatigue, irritability, sadness, low energy, and nervousness within...
Mental Vacations
Break away to a world of peace and tranquility – and still be back on time to pick the kiddies up from school. These day spas throughout OC offer everything from skin care to deep tissue massages, for the stress relief and relaxation every parent deserves. MassageLuXe Escape from carpool schedules, kids’ extracurricular activities, picking up the dry-cleaning, etc. etc. etc. that clouds your daily routine, and take two hours for yourself for a deep tissue or Swedish massage. Feel the ease from stress and tension, and improve your overall health, without having to book a getaway vacation. Expectant mothers...
Dealing with Holiday Stress
Along with trees to trim and halls to deck, it seems the holiday season brings added stress for everyone. For those suffering from even mild depression, the holidays can tip the scales from “doing okay,” to not. That’s easy to understand because the holidays have gone from being a simple celebration with family, to weeks and weeks of parties, gift-exchanges, concerts, and all manner of festivities. Each activity, in itself, is enjoyable, but too many are exhausting. If you suffer from depression or find yourself overwhelmed by seasonal stress, take the time to simplify the season in your own mind....
Explaining the News to Our Kids
Dramatic, disturbing news events can leave parents speechless. These age-based tips on how to talk to kids about the news — and listen, too — can help. If it bleeds, it leads. The old newsroom adage about milking stories for sensationalism seems truer than ever today. And with technology doing the heavy lifting — sending updates, tweets, posts, and breaking news alerts directly to our kids’ phones — we parents are often playing catch-up. Whether it’s wall-to-wall coverage of the latest natural disaster, a horrific mass shooting, a suicide broadcast on social media, or a violent political rally, it’s nearly...
Bilingual Babies
Digging into Dual Language Orange County, like many metropolitan areas in the United States, is becoming a true melting pot of culture and language. Almost half of all OC residents over age five speak a language other than English at home (Children & Families Commission of Orange County, 2015). In this increasingly diverse society, youngsters have a growing potential to excel when it comes to being dual language learners—but many parents have questions about the subject. Whether it is Spanish, Vietnamese, Farsi, Korean or another language, MOMS Orange County’s educators are often asked by parents of infants and toddlers, “am...
Overwhelmed to In Control
It is Back to School season, so more likely than not the word “overwhelmed” has popped up in your mind, if not out of your mouth. The life you had before kids looks a lot different than the one you’re living now. I struggled with finding balance. Balance between who I wanted to be and the reality of responsibilities, tight schedules and unforeseen complications that seeped into every crevice of my life. I am here to tell you there is hope for women who feel overwhelmed. The first step is taking a deep breath, grabbing a pen (or the nearest...
Talking about Mental Health Issues
Q: [Tweens/Teens] Mental Health month just passed, which is great and so important to get awareness raised in the community. But I feel like a bit of a hypocrite when I am supporting the cause as my teen deals with eating disorder issues, and rather than share it at orientation with her new high school, I feel like it might be better to keep it to ourselves. This just feels like a new start and I don’t want her judged. A: One of the hurdles that people living with mental illness continue to face is stigma. A child with a...
Do Parents Have to Be Anti-Social (Media)?
Nearly everyone is connected to social media, whether to reach out to old friends or to stay in constant contact with new ones. For the past few years, researchers have been trying to figure out what impact that screen time is having on wellbeing, whether for our bodies or our minds. After one such study from the University of Michigan suggested Facebook may hurt our moods, even the New Yorker covered the topic, penning the article “How Facebook Makes Us Unhappy”. But as doctors already know, and the article noted, such comparisons are too simple. As a parent, you want...
The Emotional Side of SIDS
Parents usually do not bury their children. Children outlive their parents and make way for the next generation. For me, that reality shattered when my third child, and only son, died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) at three months of age. I felt my sanity slip through my fingers the morning I found my sweet Erik in his crib, as purple as an eggplant. I called the police; they came and cordoned off the room, forbidding me to see my son. The police had to rule out foul play. And one does not learn the cause of death until...
Mission Hospital: Why You Can’t Stop Playing Candy Crush
Candy Crush, Cookie Jam and other “match three” smartphone games seem so innocuous and fun. With simple rules—string three or more of the same objects together to work your way up through levels of play—and an aesthetic heavy on bright colors and jingly sound effects. But it’s also very easy to become obsessed with this type of gaming app. Innocent Habit or Addiction? The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder states that it’s worth the research to determine if Internet Gaming Disorder warrants formal inclusion in the manual. That’s because findings so far indicate that...
The Top Five Mental Health Myths
To truly end the stigma surrounding mental health, it’s important to understand the truths behind the causes, symptoms, and treatments of these disorders. It’s imperative to dispel the myths surrounding these illnesses in order to eradicate the fear and misconceptions so prevalent in families. Debbie Hutchinson, Psy.D., Manager of Outpatient Behavioral Health Programs and the Psychiatric Emergency Team at the Laguna Beach campus of Mission Hospital, identifies the following as common misperceptions about mental health: 1. Children with a mental illness are more prone to violence. When a tragic and violent crime occurs, people are too often quick to blame...