The relationship we have with food can be a lifelong frustration for many.  Smolak L. (2012) indicated that children as young as age six may start to emphasize body dissatisfaction. With fast diet trends and emphasis on body image, many find it difficult to find the healthy balance required to love their body.  In research conducted by León, M. P., González-Martí, I., & Contreras-Jordán, O. R. (2021), four year olds were talking about differences between two figures for height and weight. With so much negativity often surrounding body size, it's no wonder that many adults are trying to leave this negative space and provide body positivity to our youngest and most vulnerable population.  In this post we will review some conversation builders we can use with children and how we can express body positivity through the holidays and year round. ​

Professionals in the mental health field may have different areas of focus.  Psychiatrists often times focus on medication management and at risk concerns.  Case managers will often serve at the hub of connection between different therapeutic team members.  School based counselors will often be available at school to help reduce symptoms in a school based setting. Social Workers can provide resources and often provide therapeutic services as well. While there are many different titles that therapeutic professionals may possess, in this post we are going to focus on Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT)

The postpartum journey is filled with new experiences.  Even with multiples, every newborn experience can be hectic and unique.  From getting to know our body again, healing, and trying to connect with your most precious little baby. Mix all of these changes in with hormones, body pains, and fresh emotions, the feeding experience may be a high form of stress for you. 

​Trying to exclusively breastfeed, there could be high pressure to be constantly needed but touched out and tired. Anxiety, fear, loneliness, and sadness may be especially high if the expectation and reality of feeding your new baby is not what you expected.

Have you noticed more opportunities to discuss health with your child? Have they been asking more questions about something they heard on the news? Have you recently donated resources to an organization centered around health? Perhaps more conversations are centered around someone in the family undergoing treatment. Whatever your reason for starting the conversation, we want our youth to feel heard and supported while talking about illness.

I frequently hear parents’ misconceptions about the Special Education system. It’s a fallacy to think that every student may receive services under the same qualifications. Students may receive services for a number of reasons including: Autism spectrum, Speech, Learning Disability, Emotional Disturbance (ED), Intellectual Disability (ID), and Other Health Impairment (OHI). Students can qualify with at least one of the aforementioned categories. A student may have more than one area in which the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Team is focusing on.

Psychiatrists can be a vital part of a mental health team. They have great knowledge of mental health diagnoses, symptoms, and medication. Along with therapy, Psychiatrists can help their patients make improvements in their mental health and well-being.