By Debra Wesselmann, MS, LIMHP: “Why is my 9-year old smearing feces on the wall?” “Why is my 14-year old stealing food from the cupboards in the middle of the night?” When my own children were small, I remember reading a passage by child expert T. Berry Brazelton MD...
By Cathy Schweitzer, MS, LMHP and Stefanie Armstrong, MS, LIMHP We hear a lot these days in the mainstream media about positive self-talk. Motivational speakers talk about positive affirmations and the power of positive thinking. It isn’t very often, however, that...
Article by Stefanie Armstrong, MS, LIMHP: “Ahhh. this is going to be so nice…I’m going to fold clothes and watch a documentary (one of my most favorite things to do). It’s going to be a relaxing afternoon.” Can you tell that I enjoy even the simplest of things? As...
—Debra Wesselmann, MS, LIMHP I was watching my grandchildren at the park recently, sitting near a young mother who appeared absorbed in a game on her phone while her two young children played on the equipment. The children called out time and again, as children...
Debra Wesselmann, MS, LIMHP The Attachment and Trauma Center Institute Over the years, I have worked with many adults who were adopted as infants or adopted from overseas or from the U.S. foster system. A common theme I have heard from every adult was, “No one ever...
Adoption is not the problem. Adoption is a win-win for adoptive parents, children, and birth parents. Adoption is not the problem, but early attachment losses and traumas are enormous problems. These early experiences remain trapped in the emotional regions of the...
