The Sunfield Center Blog

Selective mutism (SM) can affect children’s social interactions, academic participation, and daily functioning due to a consistent inability to speak in certain social situations, despite communicating verbally in other environments. Fortunately, there are several behavioral techniques that involve gradual exposure, positive reinforcement, and collaboration with the child’s support system—all that can do wonders.

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.

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a time of significant change. Young adults begin navigating new responsibilities related to education, employment, relationships, and independent living. For autistic young women, these transitions may present unique challenges, particularly as familiar routines and support systems change. Although some young women may appear to be managing these responsibilities successfully, their outward functioning does not always reflect the effort involved.

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 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.

Third-Wave CBT is a great modality for promoting positive changes in clients’ lives while teaching them coping and mindfulness skills along the way. There are many more modalities within the Third-Wave CBT umbrella; however, ACT, DBT, MBCT, and FAP were selected as the focus of this blog due to their widespread use presence in many therapeutic settings.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.