For months now, parents have been explaining to children the need to stay home for protection from the spread of Coronavirus. Especially at the beginning of the Pandemic, many parents experienced an intense fear of potential germs that could bring home the virus and spread to family members. In well-intentioned cautions to children and with nearly neurotic (eck-hem, I’m talking about myself here…) cleaning procedures upon returning home from public places, parents may have inadvertently shared their own fear and panic regarding the dangers of Coronavirus, both consciously and unconsciously, with their children. Now, as families begin to return to activities outside of their homes, children are asking, “Am I safe away from home?” Some are even experiencing their own anxiety and panic about life outside of their Coronavirus-free homes. Here are 10 Tips for Preparing Your Child for Activities Outside of the Home, which can help reduce everyone’s anxiety about doing so: Learn More...
Will Our Children Bounce Back?
/in Family Life/by Bridget MorganAs we approach the Fall semester, more and more parents are reaching out for advice on how to talk to their children about returning (or not returning) to school. There are a handful of parents posing a very thought-provoking question: “Will this pandemic have a lasting impact on my children?” My knee-jerk reaction might be unexpected, but my response is “I hope so.” A broader response would be, “I hope it has a lasting impact on ALL of us.” Learn More...
The Therapeutic Specialty of EMDR: What is it and how is it used?
/in Creative Family Counseling/by Lacey Ryan, LMFT, RPT-SWhile Creative Family Counseling offers many different Specialties for clients, depending on their interests and therapeutic needs, EMDR Therapy is a specialty that many people have questions about when first introduced to it. For this reason, I sat down with my colleague, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Dawn Pendleton, who is Certified in EMDR. As a seasoned clinician with over 20 years in the field, Dawn has used numerous types of approaches to therapy, including EMDR. She states that her goal is to facilitate healing for her clients in as short an amount of time as possible, which is why she’s so passionate about her use of EMDR. In this interview, Dawn gave some background on this therapeutic tool, discussed how and why it is used, and suggested who might benefit from EMDR Therapy. Learn More...
10 Tips for Preparing Your Child for Activities Outside of the Home Following the Pandemic
/in Family Life/by Lacey Ryan, LMFT, RPT-SFor months now, parents have been explaining to children the need to stay home for protection from the spread of Coronavirus. Especially at the beginning of the Pandemic, many parents experienced an intense fear of potential germs that could bring home the virus and spread to family members. In well-intentioned cautions to children and with nearly neurotic (eck-hem, I’m talking about myself here…) cleaning procedures upon returning home from public places, parents may have inadvertently shared their own fear and panic regarding the dangers of Coronavirus, both consciously and unconsciously, with their children. Now, as families begin to return to activities outside of their homes, children are asking, “Am I safe away from home?” Some are even experiencing their own anxiety and panic about life outside of their Coronavirus-free homes. Here are 10 Tips for Preparing Your Child for Activities Outside of the Home, which can help reduce everyone’s anxiety about doing so: Learn More...
9 Tips for Getting Your Child to Wear a Mask
/in Family Life/by Lacey Ryan, LMFT, RPT-SLike many parents, I’ve been wondering how I’m going to get my child to wear a mask once the Shelter at Home time is over. I’ve done some research, by both chatting with other parents and some trial and error on my own at home, and I’ve had some success! So I thought I would share some tips with all of you for you to try with your children at home! I’ve come up with 9 Tips for getting your children (ages 2 and up) to wear a mask. For children 2 and younger, or if your child has a medical condition where use of a mask may be questioned, please consult your pediatrician first. Let’s get started! Learn More...
Creative Family Counseling Offers Online Counseling and Support in Response to Pandemic Covid-19 While Businesses are Closed to Shelter at Home
/in Creative Family Counseling/by Lacey Ryan, LMFT, RPT-SAs Kentuckiana families prepare for another 4-6 weeks of being “Healthy at Home,” the Team of Marriage and Family Therapists at Creative Family Counseling has been busy finding creative ways to provide support for existing clients and their families as well as the community at large. Effective this week, all Therapists at Creative Family Counseling are able to provide Online Counseling Services and various kinds of support through secure Telehealth options. Learn More...
It’s Okay to NOT be Okay
/in Creative Family Counseling/by Lisa Howard CardwellBy Lisa Howard Cardwell, Marriage and Family Therapist Associate
I really hate that one meme that is taking over social media right now. You know the one, right? It shows a sign that says “You’re not stuck at home, you’re safe at home.” Another iteration of that meme is more to the point; it says “Stuck at home” with the word stuck crossed out and replaced with the word safe. It’s a great meme that sends an important reminder that we are safe and that staying at home protects us and those around us from COVID-19. It also reminds us to be grateful. These are positive reminders we can all use right now. So why do I hate this meme? Learn More...
10 Ideas for Creating a New Routine at Home During the Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic
/in Family Life/by Lacey Ryan, LMFT, RPT-SBy Bridget Morgan, LMFT and Lacey Ryan, LMFT, RPT-S
As the last few weeks have unfolded, more and more families have adjusted to new ways of living as we Shelter at Home during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic. For families who have children, many parents are pulling triple duty of parent, homeschooling teacher, and employee while working from home. This is difficult and overwhelming to manage, only worsened by the anxiety of how this Pandemic will continue to change our lives in the coming days. In fact, it’s impossible to manage! So we decided to offer you some tips to get you through the coming weeks at home. Learn More...
10 Activities to Beat Cabin Fever While Being #HealthyAtHome
/in Family Life/by Rebecca Street, LMFTA Chat with Archer: Being a Therapy Dog at Creative Family Counseling
/in Creative Family Counseling/by Lacey Ryan, LMFT, RPT-SA Chat with Archer: Being a Therapy Dog at Creative Family Counseling
Creative Family Counseling is known for offering creative interventions to help clients and their families experience change and healing. Animal-Assisted Therapy is one of the unique modalities of therapy available for clients of our practice. Rebecca Street, LMFT and a sweet Doberman Pinscher named Archer are one of the two animal-assisted therapy teams at Creative Family Counseling. I sat down with them for a quick interview about the amazing work they offer to their clients. Learn More...
What You Need to Know about Trauma and an Option for Treatment – Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
/in Creative Family Counseling/by Leslie CashionWhat does “trauma-focused” mean and why should a Child Therapist have a trauma focus?
Trauma is a word that gets tossed around a lot in our culture. Much like colloquial usage of words like crazy, bi-polar, and depression, people adapt words to alternative meanings. However, trauma is a real mental health issue with specific, and at the same time murky, definitions. The word trauma can be specific when it comes to the Diagnosis Statistical Manual’s (DSM-5) definition of trauma. This Manual is used by Therapists to determine if someone meets the criteria of a trauma-related mental health diagnosis. Trauma can at the same time be murky in definition because mental health professionals understand that trauma can take on many different facets depending on both the person and context impacted by the trauma. Learn More...