Melissa Morehouse LICSW, LLC.

11/25/2025

Bibliotherapy 📖

The importance of making mistakes, found in creativity. One way to help start the conversation around normalizing mistakes is through books and/or art.

As kids learn, it’s important as caregivers for their art to be allowed to be messy. For their art to have mistakes and to even sometimes not follow the rules instructions exactly. This is how they learn problem solving, overcoming challenges, new ideas are born , growth mindset, ways to ask for help and accepting that most things aren’t ever perfect.

These two stories display how mistakes can turn into something beautiful.

Some helpful phrases when teaching kids around mistakes :
•”Let’s try a different way.”
•”You’re so close.”
• Praise their effort vs focusing always on the outcome- “ Nice try! “

*This is not a paid advertisement
*Every child and family has different needs. What works for one may not work for another and that’s okay.

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03/04/2025

Come join the fun this summer!
Your kids will love our fun, stress free snack time while learning how to fuel their bodies

We can’t wait to see your kids!
Learn more & register: engagingnutrition.com

02/01/2025

NEW price and new group 🎉✍️ Check out this online meditative poetry group starting in March. If interested, register on my website or send me an email.

A glimpse of some poets we will be reading from are: Joy Harjo, Amanda Gorman, Mary Oliver, Lucille Clifton, Danusha Lameris , Andrea Gibson and many more.

11/12/2024

Journal Prompt 📝✍️
Take 15 minutes and sit with a journal or blank piece of paper. Write down the word or words: confusion, confused, and confusing.
Before going into word dump fashion, sit with the word(s) for a few minutes and reflect.
•Ask your teen to try to define this word without looking it up. No rush. Have them ponder the word over the course of the day or week. Having them reflect on when they use it? And what does it emotionally feel like?

•See what other emotions resonate with you towards this word.
•Now write down how you define it (without looking it up)? And when does it seem to come up the most.

•In therapy with children and teens when we are teaching about emotions, it is very common when asked about how they feel for a response to be, “I don’t know.” Along with, “I’m confused.” The term confusion can be used in academics, emotions , life and all aspects of a person specifically when something is hard to understand for that individual.

If you ask your child how they feel, and they respond with “confused.” That’s okay. One thing that’s important for you to know , they may not have the word for the feeling part and they may be feeling more than one thing . Hence, the confusion. A lot of times to help with this, we have them color out what’s happening for them. It’s okay to give them prompts to help them understand what might be happening and it’s also okay for them to be confused.
Especially as teens, they may not want you to tell them how they feel.

•What was this experience like for you?

It is necessary to consider one’s culture and family background when we use words to describe our feeling parts. As well as understanding there are times words/ dictionary definitions may shift based on translation.

Found this helpful? Then like, share, comment or save this post ❤️.

***This post does not replace a therapy session.
***Every child, family and adult will have different needs and strengths.

11/12/2024

Check this out if you are in the Beverly, Marblehead, Gloucester area.

Nov 11th through 15th from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm $10 to cover art material costs

07/16/2024

•Journal Prompt 📝✍️
Take 15 minutes and sit with a journal or blank piece of paper. Write down the word or words: disappoint, disappointed, and disappointment. Before going into word dump fashion, sit with the word(s) for a few minutes and reflect.
•Ask your child/teen to try to define this word without looking it up. No rush. Have them ponder the word over the course of the day or week. Having them reflect on when they use it and what emotions does it feel like?
•See what other emotions resonate with you towards this word. Are there parts of you connected to being told this word or saying this word yourself in conversation?
•Now write down how you define it (without looking it up)?

It is necessary to consider one’s culture and family background when we use words to describe our feeling parts. As well as understanding there are times words/ dictionary definitions may shift based on translation.

*According to Webster’s Dictionary, disappointed is defined as: defeated in expectation of hope.

As a family therapist, this word I find has been used in caregiver to child interactions. Defeated can be a heavier word alone. If we take and replace “I feel disappointed” within the definition context; how does it feel?

There will be times when, yes, disappointment and/ or defeated need to be used. They are still words and necessary descriptors of emotions.

•Now throughout the next few weeks, try to replace the word disappointed with a different word (not connected to defeated). One that you feel could fit the context of the conversation it’s being used in.
•What was this experience like for you?

Found this helpful? Then like, share, comment or save this post ❤️.

***This post does not replace a therapy session.
***Every child, family and adult will have different needs and strengths.

07/15/2024

Resource Share Time 🎊

Credit/Repost:

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Triple P- Positive Parenting Program, is a FREE program for any and ALL caregivers. They offer parenting / caregiver online resources, groups, and support with kids birth - teens.
Sometimes your child or family therapist may be limited in resources or ability to provide parenting/ caregiver support as much as you like or need. They may refer you to check out this great program.
This can be both an educational and support tool to access if your child is in therapy or not.

Topics include but not limited to:
•Ways to help your child cope with fear, anger and sadness.
•Help and ideas for bedtime routines.
•The importance of learning “No” while putting healthy limits on screen times.

Check them out on Facebook, Instagram and Online! No referral necessary.