Memorial Child & Family Therapy

09/12/2025

There have been a lot of difficult news stories lately. I know parents are wanting to process with your children and looking for ways to do so. Here is a book that can be really helpful in getting the conversation started: https://www.amightygirl.com/what-to-do-news-scares-you?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwMxanBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHtUk9hy9IjCTJsToL1MFs4o06He-Myji-4GCdBhDxhKZnDPuiBj8r84QJngu_aem_bEUqaQrnnXoUcfhIvs_8UA

Even adults can feel anxious when they watch the news — but for kids, the bombardment of information about everything from violence to diseases to threats like climate change can feel completely overwhelming... and downright scary. Without perspective, kids don't know how to interpret and process ...

09/10/2025

One of the key aspects of parenting any child is finding ways to draw out the best in them and make them feel seen when they express these character traits. Kids with ADHD need even more of this encouragement and positive connection. I love these questions from Nurture ADHD. Try some today with your kiddos!

08/27/2025

With another shooting in Minneapolis today, we want to make sure that parents have resources for difficult times. The resource below helps with some ideas of how to talk to kids about difficult subjects as well as how to start conversations after mass traumas occur.

We are here to help you and your family process after traumas. We know life will never be the same, but we will help you find ways to move forward. Thank you to

https://www.fcsok.org/resources-in-response-to-tragedy/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR5u60aS_NEUC7ry_27qip1w1nbFHbOfXPbBShaEeonsiJyXyroxp1ukim_Vsg_aem_va5ptKlwIbCMYjfwmxlddQt

08/13/2025

Parents, as you start the new school year with kids, remember to breathe. Here's a simple square breath exercise to practice with your child right before drop off or in the morning as they wake up and eat breakfast. New routines take time but in a few weeks, you will be pros. Breathing helps with all the big emotions as well. Let us know if you need help with all the changes, newness as well as the grief of letting go of the previous year and known routines from that time. 832-615-5508.

Introduce young children to the technique of Box Breathing (Sometimes referred to as Square Breathing) with this fun breathing activity to calm nerves and ea...

08/08/2025

Time is running out to join our Fall Social Skills Groups! We are SO proud of our group curriculum and interventions and we love watching kids grow, heal and learn critical skills for building lifelong healthy relationships.

07/19/2025

So happy for this new credential.

Michelle Collins, MEd, LPC-S, RPT-S, Houston, TX

07/16/2025

Our incredible Memorial native therapist, Rebecca Swift, is leading a group for 10-12 year old girls this fall! This group's curriculum is so spot on to help your daughter discuss key issues girls are dealing with today in friendships. Space is limited so sign up today! 832-615-5508

07/15/2025

Parents, I know you are struggling with how to talk to your kids or others about the mass trauma that we went through this last week with the hill country floods and loss of lives. I created this video after a different mass trauma, school shootings, however, the principles of how to talk to kids and important things to discuss with them are relevant. This video covers: re-establishing safety, action plans to help kids feel empowered to do something, what behaviors to look for in PTSD, and topics to make sure to discuss with your children to prevent PTSD.

At Memorial Child and Family Therapy, we have therapists who specialize in trauma and grief and all of our therapists specialize in working with children and adolescents. We are here to help you process everything. Reach out if you are needing help today. 832-615-5508.

07/08/2025

Rest. I know this is a time where there are so many stories and so much media around what is happening. I want to encourage you to try to intentionally take breaks from this and turn the news off. Set 1-2 times a day to check in and then stick to those times. These stories will bring up other traumas and grief that you have. You are going to feel tired. Sometimes as tired as running a marathon, sometimes it’s comparable to having the flu. This is your body needing to process emotions built up from these stories. We all need more breaks and more time for self care this week. Grounding activities- taking a long bath, literally laying on the floor, going outside for a walk, eating, drinking, singing, praying, napping and stretching are all really good things to just put into your day multiple times so you can check in with your body and emotions.

07/07/2025

Five things to help your kids process a tragic loss:

1.) Take time to sit them down and talk to them. Many times, as parents, we sit on our phones and we only look up to have conversations with other adults without ever addressing the little ones in the room. They hear it all. They are confused and need some guidance.

A few tips when having these hard conversations:
- tell them what happened in a direct and simple way. ( extra details, chronological order, etc are not needed) they just need the ultimate thing that happened to be communicated.
- tell them the information that is relevant to them. All children don’t need to know all details but if they were connected personally, they do. If your family was connected, they need to know.
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2.) Ask them if they have questions and let them ask these questions with your full attention
- these questions will break you, and still, you need to be able to answer them truthfully and simply (if you don’t know the answer, tell them. That’s ok.) Take time to breathe and think if you need. Let them know, that’s a hard question and you need time to choose your words. Then if you cant answer it, make a time to come back to it and do it.

3.) Check in with them regularly- every day at different times just look them in the eye and ask them “ How are you doing?”. Let them not be ok. All you have to do is be there with them in it, hold them through it, you don’t have to and cannot fix it right now. Asking and checking in is exactly what they need for connection and to know you see them and want them to connect when they’re ready.

4.) Filter adult conversations. Even when they’re not listening, they’re listening. Whispering makes it worse. Either they can and should hear what you’re talking about or it needs to happen in a separate room/ time when they cannot hear it. You have your own processing that NEEDS to happen. Make sure to take care of your mental health needs so you can be present for your child when they need you.

5.) This should be number one. But try and keep normal routines as soon as possible. Shutting down life will sometimes need to happen. However, avoiding situations because it is related to the issue or might remind them of it is not the answer. Facing life after tragedy gets harder the longer you wait. It will be hard. They will need more emotional support and more down time. But get back to routine as soon as you can and walk/ crawl the bumpy road of recovery.

As always, please reach out to our practice if you feel like you need more professional help with this. This is just scraping the surface and there is so much more to work through but we know our amazing families and parents are rallying together and working together to navigate this grief. We are here for you all.

07/05/2025

We know so many families are dealing with loss and grief right now in our community. We hold the families of all affected close and in our most fervent prayers as we navigate all of this. If you are struggling to process or would like to have a professional counselor to walk through this with, our team specialized in grief and trauma with children. We can help you as parents know how to process this with your children as well. Contact us if you need help. We are here for you.

Call now to connect with business.

06/26/2025

“He’s not scared, he’s learning and that takes courage.” Man! Thank you to School Counselor Mama for this one. Let’s correct the negative labeling out in this world and shape our kids in some positive ways today.