Convo

Experts in mental health, relationships, families, and child development.

02/27/2026

Imagination is the most powerful tool we have–and it's important that everyone is encouraged to embrace it.

02/20/2026

Believe it or not, this can be very personal. There are some things that would signal a betrayal to most of us: cheating or stealing, for examples. However, it is just as common for people to be in my office and tell me that their partner broke trust over time, a thousand paper cuts adding up. Too little follow through on commitments. Too many “jokes” made at one’s expense. Too little attention paid to bids for connection.

02/17/2026

It’s the division of labor and the ways that you work together as a team to accomplish the goals in your life.

02/13/2026

Cultivating belongingness at home is subtle and small. It’s about the ways you do like and not only love each other. Best qualities, quirks, feelings, thoughts, and interests…all of what makes them uniquely them. Belongingness is the state of how you feel to be at home, it’s the ways the little efforts at connection make you believe that who you are, in small and big ways, is valued.

02/06/2026

For children to thrive, the home must be a place of peace, love, and comfort. We role model the kinds of families we want to see perpetuated. For the next month, I’ll devote content to couple and adult relationships. Spoiler alert: not everything is about communication.

What questions do you have? Feel free to leave here or private message me.

02/03/2026

Even if anonymized, I consider the therapeutic relationship sacred, and I never want my clients to worry that something they say could end up repeated elsewhere. When I do share real questions from real people, they have reached out here on social media and consented to have that specific question or comment shared publicly.

But at the same time, I do see how valuable it is for people to see real stories and experiences on social media. We all need to know that we aren’t alone, that our personal struggles are shared…normal even. It strengthens us to know other people face similar challenges and also that means professionals like me, hearing similar stories on repeat over the years, have strategies to share.

So, I’m going to be sharing some more big themes and lessons I’ve learned over time talking with all kinds of couples in all kinds of moments... things I’ve learned about marriage and partnership from providing couples therapy for 22 years.

As an important note: nothing I post is a replacement for therapy or tailored support. Much of the advice I will share here is about increasing partnership and connection, which is often contraindicated in the presence of abuse and/or true, unacknowledged and untreated types of diagnoses, such as personality disorders.

01/16/2026

If I’m being really honest… the big deep question that keeps me up at night as a mom is… am I really enough? For all that the will face and all that they need…am I doing enough?

There’s no “little kids, little problems” for me. Every challenge was a reflection of this, wanting to be sure they knew, no matter what exists out there in a difficult world, here is where you will only know love and connection. But that includes expectations that they become partners and not just recipients.

Looking back at these pics squeezes my heart. We were just at the beginning of so much as a family. But I realize also… you know what? I think what we hoped to create… I think it’s all working. We didn’t try for a perfect life, or one where’d even get it all right. We really tried though for connection, and 10 years later, I can say we did it. And maybe, just maybe, as the years continue on, I’ll be able to say for sure… it is more than enough.

#2016

01/13/2026

I often remind families that creativity isn’t a bonus skill—it’s a core developmental need. In this quote, Vygotsky beautifully reminds us that creativity is not reserved for artists or inventors. It’s the heartbeat of everyday life and emerges early and often in childhood.

He continues to say:

"If we understand creativity in this way, it is easy to see that the creative processes are already fully manifest in earliest childhood."

From make-believe play to problem-solving through tantrums, children are constantly using their imaginations to navigate their worlds. When we honor and nurture this natural creativity, we support their cognitive, emotional, and relational growth in profound ways.

Let’s shift the narrative from managing behavior to supporting development—and that starts by seeing your child’s imagination as one of their greatest strengths.

01/12/2026

Raising kids in a mental health crisis means our energy is not infinite—it’s sacred. How do you know when to lean all the way in to catch them, or when to step back and let them “skin their knee?” This decision isn’t always straightforward. Parents are constantly being told we are hovering too much, and then just as quickly, that we are not doing enough.

My take: take each challenge as it comes. Talk it out with your child, your partner, and also with yourself, focusing on your values. Learn to interpret which challenges are the kind your child can soak up new experiences to learn from, and which ones need a helping hand from the start.

Tune into Raising Souls, my new podcast where I talk to parents like you and me, facing everyday challenges.

01/09/2026

We’re told to chill about achievement culture…and also told our kids will be ‘left behind’ if we do. No wonder parents feel trapped in a double bind!

An anxious parent’s brain responds to this double bind by trying to do it all. Sign them up for everything! But also, wring your hands about the stress of it all!

We don’t have to blame ourselves. We just have to realize… we may not be able to control our children’s destiny as much as we wish we could.

Ask your children… what matters to YOU? Even when they are little, start the convo. We can trust them to trust their inner voice.

01/06/2026

It’s important for teachers and schools to engage families from the very beginning to set goals for their children in learning.

Establishing these relationships early on offers a context for later follow-up to help each child remain on their own developmental path.

Here's a few action steps for teachers and parents:

For teachers:

Ask parents to tell you: “What do you most hope your child learns this year? What should I know about things that help your child to stay curious?"

For parents:

Share your observations: What strengths, challenges, or interests are showing up at home?

Be curious: “How can I support social-emotional growth alongside academics?”

Revisit these conversations during the year—not just at conference time.

Let’s work together to raise not just students, but whole humans. 💛

01/03/2026

If your child gets upset when you drop-off or pick them up from school, it's not always true "separation anxiety". (And that term is getting thrown around a LOT on social media!)

Check out the episode "Dropping the Kids off at School" on my podcast, Raising Souls, for more on how to handle these moments of stress for your child.

You can find Raising Souls on all major podcast streaming platforms.

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Farmington Hills, MI

Website

http://myconvo.org/

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