Every child deserves a safe and loving home. Especially when the child has experienced trauma in any form at an early age. Trauma can be anything from a natural disaster to an accident, to neglect and/or abuse, or being witness to abuse between caregivers, and more. Children who go through these painful experiences perceive and react to the world differently than children who had supportive, loving, and healthy upbringings. Keep reading below to learn about being supportive and working with your child to help them heal from trauma.

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Over the holidays, many people throughout the United States were affected by power outages during frigid temperatures made even lower by the windchill. Many folks in Western North Carolina also struggled with cold temps and power outages, as remote power conservation measures took place to lessen the stress on the power grid. Some people were without power for only an hour or so, but others were without power for even longer than that.

During the winter, when the power goes out, it can be catastrophic, with children and the elderly being most likely affected by outages. The incidence of cold-related illnesses and injuries such as hypothermia and frostbite increases during extremely cold weather, which is why it’s important to be prepared if and when another winter power outage strikes. Keep reading below to learn how you can keep your family safe and warm if it happens again.

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December 2022:

Dr. E’s Mental Health Moment: Create a 2023 Vision Board

As a psychologist, I can't help but love New Year's Resolutions, as imperfect as they can be.  Sometimes we are able to make good on our intentions, but just as often they fall by the wayside by February. Instead of picking a random goal and idealistically hoping to follow through, I prefer to instead do a more comprehensive review of what really matters, and then use this to guide choosing specific behaviors or outcomes that are manifestations of these values. Keep reading to learn more about creating a vision board!

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Many of us are familiar with the way the holidays can feel sometimes. What is supposed to be a joyous time of celebrating with loved ones, can be very stressful between holiday shopping, people’s expectations, holiday parties and social get-togethers, and more. This stress ultimately affects our children and can stress them out as well. Keep reading below for some tips on how to help kids handle holiday stress!

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During the hustle and bustle of the holidays, people often feel they have to get their loved ones the perfect present or go shopping and spend money to make others happy. It’s something that is instilled in us very young with the holiday season. As children, we were always so excited to receive presents from our parents, friends, and family members. The truth is, though, that you don’t always have to give material goods to others in order to make people happy.

Some people may be more motivated by gifts than others, but not everyone is.

Helping your child understand why we do what we do and how we give back to our communities is crucial in assisting them to achieve their sense of purpose and in turn, making them better citizens, and giving them something to be proud of. So how do you help your child realize their potential and instill a sense of giving in them? Keep reading for tips!

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