Sleep is essential for anyone’s ability to focus, remember things, solve problems, manage emotions, and feel good. The right amount of sleep reduces anxiety and depression. And did you know that when you’re sleeping, everything you’ve learned during the day encodes in your brain? In a nutshell, sleep is everything for the way that we function in this world.

 

That’s why I’m so excited to have Allison Egidi, a certified pediatric sleep & wellness coach, on Active & Connected Families today, talking about the basics of sleep for elementary school kids.

 

In this episode on sleep help for elementary school kids, we discuss:

• The basics of sleep for elementary school kids;

• The importance of a healthy bedtime routine;
• Common pitfalls;
• Teaching your kid that they can sleep independently;
• How much sleep does my kid actually need?;
• Rituals, habits and holding the structure of your family’s bedtime routine;
• Screen usage;
• Teaching your child to understand that sleep is not perfect;
• And so much more!

 

You don’t want to miss this one, so hop on and have a listen! We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

 

Ps. Do you love listening to our podcast? It would mean the absolute world to us if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This will help our show so we can help more parents and families feel more active and connected in their lives. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

 

And if you haven’t done so yet, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of our future episodes!

 

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://virginiafamilytherapy.com/sleep-help-for-e…tary-school-kids/

If your kid might apply for college in the next ten years, you want to listen to this one! Margaret is an expert when it comes to supporting kids through the college application process. She has a particularly valuable perspective on how teenagers experience this crazy time and how parents can support them and today she’s sharing her knowledge with us!

 

In today’s episode on supporting your teen through college, we discuss:

• Why not to rewrite your kid’s college application essay;
• The three parts of finding a good-fit college;
• Trusting your kid to go through this process themselves;
• The top three ways parents can support their kid through college applications;
• How to foster a safe environment for your kid to talk to you about college;
• Some golden tips on scholarships;
• And so much more!

 

Hop on and have a listen! We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

 

Ps. Do you love listening to our podcast? It would mean the absolute world to us if you would leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This will help our show so we can help more parents and families feel more active and connected in their lives. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating, and then write your review. Thanks so much!

 

And if you haven’t done so yet, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of our future episodes!

 

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://virginiafamilytherapy.com/supporting-your-teen-through-college-applications-with-margaret-baudinet-of-college-solutions-podcast-episode/

Let’s face it, making and keeping friends as an adult is not easy. Research shows that we all need real-life connections (so not on our phones, y’all!) for the benefit of our mental health and to reduce anxiety and depression in adults.

 

In today’s podcast episode, I’m sharing tips and strategies that will help you make friends easier. It’s going to be a little awkward, but I can tell you this: it’ll be worth it!

 

Hop on and have a listen! We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

 

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://virginiafamilytherapy.com/making-friends-as-an-adult/

The trend we’re seeing among athletes and other teenagers is a general increase in anxiety and depression. Coach Mike is back on the podcast today to talk about health beyond nutrition and exercise. He shares and explains the top four strategies to help athletes make the time and space to get their mental game together so they can be more well-rounded and perform better.

 

We’re talking about society’s expectations, identity crises, diversifying your identity, self-scouting, honoring your body aside from its performance, and much more!

 

Hop on and have a listen! We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

 

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://virginiafamilytherapy.com/mental-fitness-for-athletes/

Collectively, we’re coming out of an extremely hard, even traumatic time. We couldn’t wait for life to go ‘back to normal’ but instead of easily sliding back into that ‘normal life’, many of us are struggling. 

 

In this first episode under our new name, we’re diving deeper into the topic of why parenting feels so hard right now and why so many parents and non-parents are feeling so stressed and anxious. We discuss developmental shifts, unrealistic expectations, emotional forecasting, scarcity complex, sensory overload and will share our advice on how to get through this tough time.

 

Hop on and have a listen! We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

 

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://virginiafamilytherapy.com/why-parenting-feels-so-hard/

We're back with a rewind episode with coach Mike where we talk about the strong connection between mind and body, the contradictions regarding mental health for young athletes, and essential mental health strategies to implement for every athlete out there. 

 

Michael believes that mental health should be an equally important part of sports training, as are warm-ups, strength training, and cardio and we couldn't agree more!

 

Hop on and have a listen! We always love hearing from you so don't be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today's episode!  

 

More info? You can find the full show notes, links & resources on:

http://www.podcasttherapists.com/episode/mental-health-athletes-part2/

Recently, we've been hearing too many stories in the national news regarding college athletes struggling with their mental health and many of you have reached out to us. Sport is an amazing thing but we shouldn't forget about balance, identity, and a sense of well-being either. 

That's why we're re-releasing our popular episode with coach Michael Atunrase, who will give you invaluable insights on how to keep your athlete mentally healthy.

We talk about support systems, balance, identity, growth mindset, communication, vulnerability and so much more.

Hop on and have a listen! We always love hearing from you so don't be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today's episode!  

More info? You can find the full show notes, links & resources on:

http://www.podcasttherapists.com/episode/mental-health-for-athletes/

Apologizing, we do it all the time but it doesn't always have the effect we hope for, does it?

We make a lot of mistakes when it comes to apologizing (yep, us included) and that isn't beneficial to our relationships. 

In this episode, we go over the most common mistakes when it comes to apologizing, and most of all, this episode is about how to be a human being and apologize in a way that feels good to you and the other person and that’s going to create some growth, repair and learning from the whole situation.

Hop on and have a listen! We always love hearing from you so don't be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today's episode!  

More info? You can find the full show notes, links & resources on:

http://www.podcasttherapists.com/episode/how-to-apologize/

How do we teach our kids to apologize in a healthier way that helps them feel good about themselves, learn from their mistakes, and improve and repair their relationships? That’s the question we’re discussing in today’s episode.

Teaching your kid how to apologize is one part of raising empathic children. Our kids have to learn that their actions and words can affect other people and what they can do when they make a mistake and don’t feel good about it.

Hop on and have a listen! We always love hearing from you so don't be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today's episode!  

More info? You can find the full show notes, links & resources on:

http://www.podcasttherapists.com/episode/teach-kids-to-apologize/

A subject our kids are more knowledgeable and open-minded about than most of us adults are... Today we're talking gender diversity. 

Oak Reed is our newest clinical psychologist at Virginia Family Therapy and on his first day with us(!), he joined us on Podcast Therapists to share his expertise.

What is gender diversity? How can you recognize it as a parent? And how can you as a parent be the most helpful in responding when your child is exploring different gender identities?

Hop on and have a listen! We always love hearing from you so don't be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today's episode!  

More info? You can find the full show notes, links & resources on: http://www.podcasttherapists.com/episode/gender-diversity/