Blog Category: Parenting

  • Neurodivergent-Friendly Study Strategies

    By: Mizuho Hasegawa, MSW Intern and Juno Ottathengil, LMSW

    November 10, 2026

    It’s common to hear suggestions such as "Just focus," "Try harder," or "Manage your time better." While these suggestions may be well-intentioned, they don't always address the challenges some learners experience with attention, planning, motivation, memory, or sensory processing. The important thing to remember is that everyone learns differently, even individuals with the same diagnosis due to different strengths, preferences, and support needs. Instead of expecting everyone to follow the same study routine, it’s essential to explore strategies that work for each person's brain. This blog provides six research-informed approaches worth trying.

  • Talking to Adopted Children About Adoption

    By: Emerson Palazzo, MSW Intern and Juno Ottathengil, LMSW

    November 6, 2026

    Categories: Anxiety, Other, Parenting

    For many adoptive parents, talking to their child about adoption can feel daunting. Parents may wonder how much information to share, when to introduce certain topics, or what is considered age-appropriate. This blog highlights several strategies that parents can use to create a safe and supportive environment where their child feels comfortable to ask questions, express emotions, and explore their story.

  • Disclosing Divorce to Children

    By: Mae Veidlinger, MSW Intern and Juno Ottathengil, LMSW

    October 27, 2026

    Categories: Anxiety, Other, Parenting

    Disclosing divorce to children can be nerve-racking and intimidating. This blog highlights what parents should consider saying, how parents should present themselves, and ways for parents to prepare themselves for potential questions from children.

  • The Impact of Parental Views on a Child’s Treatment Progress

    By: Eddie Ozor, MSW Intern and Juno Ottathengil, LLMSW

    August 5, 2026

    Parents actively influence engagement, skill generalization, and long-term progress through the lens that they bring to their child’s treatment journey. Therefore, it is important to consider why these perspectives matter, how positive and negative outlooks can lead to different treatment trajectories, and practical strategies families can use to support better results.

  • Parental Guide: Virtual Dating Violence

    By: Alessia Odell, M.Ed, MSW Intern and Juno Ottathengil, LLMSW

    June 25, 2026

    Categories: Anxiety, Other, Parenting

    As technology becomes increasingly integrated into young people’s lives, dating relationships are no longer limited to face-to-face interactions. Today’s teens communicate through text messages, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, location-sharing apps, and other online platforms. While these tools can help young people stay connected, they can also create opportunities for unhealthy and abusive behaviors. For parents and caregivers, understanding cyber dating violence is an important step toward helping teens build healthy, respectful relationships.

  • Structuring Summer for Children and Young Adults

    By: Kamila Charles, MSW Intern and Juno Ottathengil, LLMSW

    June 19, 2026

    Summer can be exciting, but for many individuals, it can also feel overwhelming. The school year naturally provides routines, schedules, and predictable expectations. During summer break, those supports often disappear, leaving children and young adults with more unstructured time, changing schedules, and uncertainty. The good news is that one of the most effective supports is also one of the simplest: thoughtful structure. This blog explores why structure matters, how transitions affect anxiety, and practical ways families can create flexible routines that support—rather than control—-their child.

  • Community Mental Health

    By: Mae Veidlinger, MSW Intern and Juno Ottathengil, LLMSW

    June 2, 2026

    Community Mental Health provides mental health, psychiatric, and support services to adults, children, and neurodiverse individuals in need. This blog will focus specifically on the Community Mental Health services provided by Washtenaw County.

  • Structuring Time to Reduce Anxiety

    By: Kamila Charles, MSW Intern and Juno Ottathengil, LLMSW

    April 28, 2026

    Thoughtful routines and predictable transitions can lower stress, reduce power struggles, and build confidence over time. This blog explains why structure helps with anxiety, what makes transitions difficult, and how families can use flexible routines (without rigidity) to support children and teens.

  • Teaching Children To Stand Up For What’s Right

    By: Eddie Ozor, MSW Intern and Juno Ottathengil, LLMSW

    April 24, 2026

    Raising children with moral courage—the ability to speak up and act on what they know is right, even when it’s hard—equips them with lifelong resilience, self-esteem, and integrity. By using practical, evidence-based strategies drawn from child development experts, you can raise confident children who choose kindness, honesty, and fairness rather than simply going along with the crowd.

  • Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

    By: Alessia Odell, M.Ed, MSW Intern and Juno Ottathengil, LLMSW

    March 28, 2026

    Categories: Anxiety, Parenting, PTSD, Trauma

    Trauma can change the way young people think, feel, and navigate the world—sometimes long after the event has passed. The good news is that there are therapies specifically designed to help children and teens heal from trauma.

  • Interventions for Pediatric Procedural Anxiety

    By: Siba Alzohaili, M.A., LLP and Juno Ottathengil, LLMSW

    March 21, 2026

    A doctor’s visit can feel like stepping into the unknown for both children and parents. This blog highlights various strategies and interventions for parents to consider in order to support themselves and their children with routine outpatient and invasive hospital-based procedures.

  • Special Needs Summer Camps 2026

    By: Mae Veidlinger, MSW Intern and Juno Ottathengil, LLMSW

    February 28, 2026

    Finding the right summer camp can be overwhelming, especially for parents of neurodiverse children. To help, we have provided a list of summer camp options across various Michigan counties below.