Lynn Baxter and Associates Psychotherapy

09/24/2025

Congrats to @ for the beautiful logo for McMaster University McMaster University

09/24/2025

So very true.

September is Self-Care Month, and self-care is essential to parenting. Self-care practices help you to stay grounded, present, and model healthy habits for your kids. We've compiled a list of our self-care resources for parents covering:

• practical advice for self-care
• preventing burnout
• parenting support groups
• mindful parenting
• anxiety and being kind to yourself
• video resources, parent training programs, and more

Read them here:
https://childmind.org/resources/self-care-for-parents/

09/24/2025

Ever feel like a fraud at work or school? You’re not alone—here’s how to conquer impostor feelings and own your success.

Read more in this month's Psychology for a Better You newsletter: https://at.apa.org/1442fb

08/15/2025

Good read for parents with younger children going back to school soon.

Going back to school can bring up big worries for kids, but talking about concerns — and feeling supported — can help. Here are some tips to make your back-to-school conversations more productive and less stressful for everyone.

1. Be realistic about challenges
Glossing over your child's challenges can leave them feeling unheard.
Acknowledge your child's struggles and be direct - and strategic. Think about what's traditionally been difficult for your child. Past troubles can provide a roadmap for future support.
Give your child the chance to talk through any concerns and work together to brainstorm solutions.

2. Take worries seriously
Issues that might seem silly to you can be very serious to your child.
Worrying they won't have any classes with friends, seeing a former crush in the hall, finding out they have another class with a teacher who "Hates me!" – all of these can be sources of real stress. Instead of brushing worries away, take care to validate kids' feelings and give them opportunities to talk about what's troubling them. Asking open-ended, non-judgmental questions can help kids open up, and make it easier to share worries.

3. Talk about the good stuff
Help your child remember some of the good parts of school, like activities or classes they like, favorite teachers, and friends they've missed over the summer.
Try encouraging kids to compare notes on topics like these:
• What did they miss about school during summer vacation?
• What are they looking forward to? Starting a new subject?
Joining a team? Decorating their locker?

4. Don't push
The urge to check in, even when your child isn't responding, might be more about your own anxieties than your child's needs.
Try to manage your own expectations, and if your child isn't ready to talk or doesn't seem engaged with the conversation, that's okay. You'll have plenty of opportunities for conversations as the year goes on.
For now, just knowing you're there, and that you love and support them, can be enough.

Get more of our back-to-school resources:
https://childmind.org/resources/back-to-school/

07/24/2025

07/24/2025

An astounding 50% of girls are missed in the diagnosis process because their impulsivity and hyperactivity are often undermined as being “boyish“.

Girls with ADHD/ADD feel socially rejected more often:
Both boys and girls with ADHD and ADD miss social clues, have only a few friends. However, this social reclusiveness seems to bother girls much more than boys.

Anxiety is (or may be) a major issue:
Worry tends to be a big factor for girls with ADHD. Girls worry about mishaps that may or may not happen in future, and get easily distracted from the present situation. Many girls will often set unrealistic goals for themselves and when they fall short, anxiety about everything around them takes over.

Girls Compensate for Anxiety with Compulsive Behavior:
Mothers often say that their daughters are so worried about forgetting homework or a social event that they will make extensive lists in an attempt to organize them. Hyper-focusing on the future and making endless list often causes girls to lose track of time and actually forget to do the task at hand.

As one can see many young girls are not diagnosed as early as boys are. However, untreated ADHD/ADD in middle school and high school girls pose some severe issues. The psychological aspects of ADHD/ADD begin to unfold as there are more social events and organizational skills needed to study at higher grade levels.

Autism 360 ❤️

07/24/2025

“When I feel self-destructive, I look at her page."

07/24/2025

07/24/2025

07/24/2025

Overthinking can be painful, especially when you're motivated to excel but struggling to fulfill essential responsibilities. Fortunately, there are tools to help you relieve these pain points.

07/24/2025

When we stop fighting ourselves, we're less eager to fight others.

06/23/2025

Spend agenda-less time getting to know your children.