Family Counseling Insights brought to you by Patricia McTague-Loft We often use an idiomatic phrase casually, without really thinking about its true or deeper meaning. We often say, for example, my goodness, that was a mixed blessing. When it comes to the...
Children’s Books — Read By Their Authors
Family Counseling Insights brought to you by Patricia McTague-Loft The American Psychological Association (APA) has a valuable YouTube channel devoted to children’s books. It’s associated with the APA’s Magination Press, which publishes books written and...
Communicating With An Adult Child Who’s Struggling
Family Counseling Insights brought to you by Patricia McTague-Loft Growing from teen to young adult to adult can be tough. Just ask anyone who’s been through those years. What’s more, the “failure to launch” phenomenon has gotten plenty of attention, with all kinds of...
Setting Boundaries To Keep The Peace At Holiday Time
Family Counseling Insights brought to you by Patricia McTague-Loft Let’s see: Step One — invite family members and friends who haven’t seen each in months or years to spend time together. Step Two — Make sure everyone is invited, even those with wildly differing...
Teens and Alcohol — A Volatile Mix
Family Counseling Insights brought to you by Patricia McTague-Loft Like it not, and whether you personally drink alcohol or not, the presence of alcohol is virtually unavoidable. In advertising, in TV shows and movies, not to mention in real-life social situations,...
How To Destress Around the Holidays
Family Counseling Insights brought to you by Patricia McTague-Loft Ah, where to begin? Do you have everything in order for the holidays – shopping done, menu set for a wonderful family dinner and all groceries purchased, Christmas or Holiday cards mailed, New Year’s...
What To Do About The Worst Kind Of Lying
Family Counseling Insights brought to you by Patricia McTague-Loft A human's unique ability to speak (in contrast to other forms of communication) is fascinatingly complex. We form thoughts into words so instinctively that we don’t really need to analyze the process...
A Heartbreaking Turn For Bruce Willis
Family Counseling Insights brought to you by Patricia McTague-Loft Bruce Willis has enjoyed a spectacular acting career, starring in the blockbuster Die Hard series and bringing an edginess to performances in films such as Pulp Fiction. Fame, fortune and success,...
Making Your Kids More Emotionally Intelligent
Family Counseling Insights brought to you by Patricia McTague-Loft Raising kids provides tremendous satisfaction, with moments of joy unlike any others. The flip side, of course, is that raising kids can also provide moments of true frustration. Fortunately for most...
The Immeasurable Value of Encouraging Kids to Read
Family Counseling Insights brought to you by Patricia McTague-Loft You may have heard the old saying: Learn to read from kindergarten to third grade; read to learn from then on. There’s a lot of truth in that little aphorism. What’s more, its importance can hardly be...