There is a hidden cost to being me. The silent judgements from others ocassionally end, and the quiet part gets said out loud. From the moment I started a practice where I considered the whole person (not just the mind) there have been questions such as this. The world can be a powerful mirror, and with age and being mindful to not become defensive, I've navigated this question with humor and clarity. But, now I'm ready to take a deeper look. But first, lets wax philosophical

Have you ever had a partner who constantly: Undervalued your worth? Said they would pay for dinner, but then left you stuck with the bill at the end? Bought you a gift but several months to years later wanted it back? Changed the rules to the relationship and you couldn’t keep up? Was extremely controlling? I’ve had some epically unhealthy relationships in the past, but my relationship with insurance ranks at the top in regards to dysfunction. This is the type of partner that

I have quite literally given and interpreted a thousand intelligence tests since 2006. The test I tend to administer the most is the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV). These are well rounded intelligence tests and I am able to look at not only areas (indexes) of general ability but also cognitive processing. What does the General Ability Index include? On the adult test there ar

When people envision a child with ADHD they tend to think of a child who can’t sit still, blurts out answers, and tends to act without thinking. When the symptom criteria for ADHD was created, it is almost guaranteed that it was written by men, for men (boys). As it turns out, females also have ADHD, it just looks quite a bit different. Here is a quick cheat sheet for what a female with ADHD might look like, or have a history of. Of course, every individual’s presentation loo

Web Resources: Gut Bacteria Might Guide The Workings Of Our Minds (info on the gut-brain connection) Study: Diet May Help ADHD Kids More Than Drugs (the impact of food sensitivities on ADHD) Parents report gluten-, casein-free diet helps some kids with autism (the impact of food sensitivities in autism) All About Autism (great website, check out the sample menus for dietary considerations) The Biggest Medical Discovery of Our Lifetimes: Finding the Cure for Chronic Disease

How did I come to provide holistic psychological services, working with both children and adults, and running my own practice? I would say it is VERY rare for a school psychologist to leave a school setting, to become a licensed psychological associate and practice in the private sector. You give up a lot, such as retirement, decent health insurance, a consistent salary, and guaranteed holidays off. I thought I would work in a school until I retired, as many do! After having