Have you ever needed grounding techniques for anxiety in the middle of a totally normal day, like when your heart starts racing in the school pickup line or right before a meeting? Grounding skills are small, simple tools that help your brain come back to right here and right now when worry starts to pull…
Have you noticed signs of anxiety in children that don’t look like worry at all? Maybe it’s the stomachache that shows up every school morning, the bedtime that drags on with “one more question,” or the meltdown over a sock that feels wrong. Kids between 5 and 12 often don’t have the words to say…
If you’re searching for help with teen anger issues, you’ve probably heard a door slam or two lately. Maybe your teen snaps over the smallest thing, and you’re left standing in the kitchen wondering what just happened. Here’s the good news: anger is a feeling, not a character flaw. It’s usually a signal that something…
If you’ve started looking into EMDR for teens, there’s a good chance something is still bothering your teen long after you’d expect it to fade. Maybe it’s a memory they don’t want to talk about, or a worry that seems way bigger than the moment in front of them. You might be wondering what EMDR…
Have you ever picked up a happy kid from school, only to face one of those after-school meltdowns the minute you walk through the door? The teacher says the day went great, and then the wrong snack or a missing sock turns into tears, yelling or a slammed door. If this sounds like your house,…
Your child has been dreading school for weeks, and now you’re stuck on the school counselor vs therapist question: who do you even call first? Maybe a teacher mentioned the counselor’s office, or maybe you’ve been wondering if your kid needs more than a quick check-in at school. Here’s the good news. You don’t have…
Your teen’s first counseling session is probably not going to look anything like what either of you imagined. It is not a formal evaluation. It is not a room full of clinical questions and clipboards. It is, genuinely, just a conversation. At Davis-Smith Mental Health, we have walked a lot of teens and families through…
Teen therapy is not adult therapy with a younger person in the chair. The goals look different, the approach looks different, and the relationship between therapist and client is built in a completely different way from the very first session. At Davis-Smith Mental Health, working with teens is not an add-on to what we do….
Learning real coping skills for teens is one of the most important things a young person can do, but most teens have never been taught how to build them on purpose. They are figuring it out in real time, often leaning on habits that feel helpful in the moment but quietly make things harder over…
Figuring out how to get your teen to go to therapy is one of the hardest things a parent can face. You can see your child struggling. You want to help. But every time you bring it up, the walls go up. The good news is that resistance is normal. It does not mean therapy will not…
Parenting a teenager has never been easy, but knowing the signs of teen anxiety versus normal stress is one of the hardest calls a parent can make. Anxiety in teens often looks different from anxiety in adults, and it can hide behind behaviors that seem like attitude problems, laziness, or social awkwardness. If you have…
Anxiety in college students rarely looks the way most people expect. Your college student seemed fine in high school. Maybe a little stressed before exams, a little anxious about getting in. Nothing that raised real flags. Then they left for school, and something shifted. The calls got shorter. The grades slipped. You ask if they’re…
Parents often wonder, “How do I know if my teen needs counseling?” It can feel like your teen is just going through the typical challenges of the teenage years, so what if it’s just a phase? These questions constantly weigh on parents. In this blog we will go over: As therapists, we want you to…
Parenting young adults living at home isn’t an easy job. You’ve guided them through life since birth, and now that they have reached adulthood, your expectations have shifted. You hope they will launch into independence, but things might not be going as planned. If your young adult is not working or going to school, you…
Young adult isolation can sneak up on you. This stage of life is full of twists, turns, and unexpected detours, and for many people in their late teens and twenties, finding their footing feels more complicated than ever. The pandemic years left many young adults confined to their homes or dorm rooms for long stretches,…
Learning how to handle tantrums is one of the most challenging parts of parenting, and if you are in the thick of it right now, you are not alone and you are not failing. Tantrums are a normal part of childhood development, but that does not make them any easier to live through. Children struggle…
Looking for ways to relieve stress when the headlines just keep coming? Do you find yourself feeling exhausted every time another breaking news story pops up? Do these questions sound like the start of a really cheesy infomercial? For just three easy payments of 19.99! No, no, no. Let’s talk about relieving some stress, for…
Teen vaping is a real problem for many families, and it can catch even the most involved parents off guard. Teens often talk about vaping like it’s no big deal, or even like it’s cool. It doesn’t matter if your teenager is a star athlete, a brainiac, or just a teen being a teen. Any…
Homesickness in college is one of the most common feelings new students face, and it often starts before move-in day. You might be excited about everything ahead and still feel a pit in your stomach when you think about leaving home. It is that fabulous time of year when you are finally out on summer…
Teen depression can be frightening for a parent to watch, especially when your once chatty kid becomes quiet, irritable, or closed off. You may not know whether it is a phase or something more, or how to even start the conversation. At Davis-Smith Mental Health in New Lenox, IL, we help families across Will County…
Davis-Smith Mental Health provides specialized therapy for children, teens, and families in New Lenox and surrounding communities.
Davis-Smith Mental Health Provider, LTD.
100 Batson Court, Suite 206,
New Lenox, IL 60451
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