Everyone has a theory about what makes up a real family. But this post isn’t about a theory. Rather, it’s about family—a “forever family,” as Mike McClanahan calls it. This is a peek through an open window of Mike’s household and expressly his heart, made up of five children—four of which he adopted in 2016. Mike’s story During…
The Momo Challenge is back in full force—making the viral internet rounds with its usual dark and twisted content for children. So, it’s no surprise that we have recently seen the effects of Momo on children—as well as their parents who are searching for answers in our counseling office. Here’s what you should know about Momo’s message and four…
It’s that question parents universally dread hearing from their child’s mouth, “Mommy, what’s sex?” From the back seat of my car this inquiry sounded loud and clear from my five-year-old son’s mouth. At the time, we were driving toward his school one morning when he decided it was the perfect time to get his question answered.…
Meet one of our fabulous counselors—Lorraine Looney, LMSW. Lorraine joined the BabbCenter for Counseling team at the end of 2017. She provides counseling for children, adolescents, adults and families with a focus on substance abuse and co-occurring disorders as well as depression and anxiety, stress management, and grief counseling. Q. Where did you go to school? A. Boston University. I loved…
Today’s Therapist Spotlight is with Rhonda D’Imperio, Ph.D. Dr. D’Imperio joined the Babb Center for Counseling team over 12 years ago. She provides counseling and psychological assessment for children, adolescents, adults, and families. Rhonda’s special areas of interest include depression and anxiety, bipolar disorder, grief counseling, ADHD and learning disorders, and autism and Asperger’s disorder. Rhonda’s approach to…
I was picking up my son from school and I could tell something was up by the way he pulled open the back door and jumped in. With all my children/teens I can always tell when something is up by the look in their eyes, but there are times when I’m not quite sure if it is good…or bad. Will this be a moment of…
In our first segment called “Solving the Family Devotion Dilemma, Part 1: Younger Kids,” we looked at some age-related tips to help with your family devo time with preschoolers and elementary-aged kids. This segment cranks it up a notch by considering ways your teens can have more meaningful Bible study and prayer times on their own and with your family unit. Sharing these…
This is Part 3 of a series related to my personal experience with depression twenty-five years ago. Today’s post focuses on resources that were helpful to me. My hope is that they’ll provide help to others struggling with depression. Although many pieces of my depressive experience are either cloudy or somehow “blocked” from my memory,…
Has your emotional state gone from having a gloomy day or two, to living with on-going feelings of hopelessness or other debilitating thoughts? If you read Part 1 of this series “Hope Beyond Depression: My Story,” or you’ve been dealing with some dark emotions for a while—consider this list from the Mayo Clinic. Common Symptoms…
Have you ever wondered if your body might melt through the flooring of your living room, as you lie on it watching TV? Have you ever sat frozen in one spot—for three to four hours—wondering what to eat for dinner? Or if you should eat at all? Have you ever driven to the other side…