Should I Use My Insurance for Therapy?
When starting to search for your therapist, there are a lot of factors to consider. One of the more common questions I’ve encountered, and one you’re likely wondering yourself – “should I use my insurance for therapy?” Although Ally Psychological Services doesn’t accept insurance, we can help you figure out your benefits and ensure you […]
Navigating the Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) Process
What is an IEE? An IEE or Independent Educational Evaluation is an evaluation of educational strengths and needs completed by a licensed psychologist outside of the school district. An IEE typically contains intelligence and academic assessments, records reviews, social-emotional and behavioral rating scales from the parents and teachers, interviews, and school observations which provide information […]
The Importance of Listening to Our Inner Child
Let’s use our imagination for a moment. Picture yourself interacting with someone close to you during a stressful situation. It could be a partner, friend or family member. This particular situation requires collaboration. Perhaps you are trying to figure out which terminal your connecting flight leaves from or trying to interpret overly complicated instructions to […]
Summer Awaits! How to use the summer to help your kids return to normal.
Summer is so close I can taste it, and it tastes like ice cream. This year has literally been one for the history books. Now that the numbers of COVID-19 cases are reducing, families are awaking from their COVID hibernations. Several parents have expressed to me all of the concerns they have about what their […]
The Psychological Toll of Miscarriage
On Mother’s Day, here’s to the mothers who have lost or struggled with getting pregnant. You are not alone. I just about popped out of my mother’s womb wearing mom-jeans. In fact, one of my first memories I have was me playing dolls in my basement; I remember my aunt came downstairs and […]
Social Awkwardness with COVID
You’re Not Alone “Two weeks to flatten the curve!” That was just about one year ago, or 52 weeks, or about 25x what we were expecting. Two weeks seemed manageable; there was a general consensus that it would suck, but we could manage and then life would go back to normal. Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic […]
Help! Why Isn’t My Child Learning Online?
School this year has looked and felt a whole lot different. Schools had to quickly pivot to virtual classrooms due to concerns over the pandemic. Children quickly gained a new vocabulary with words like “hybrid,” “synchronous,” “asynchronous,” and “learning pods”. The transition has impacted parents, teachers, and most of all, students. Students are now required […]
Want Resilient Kids? Practice Resiliency
Parents frequently approach me with questions about how to help their children address their emotional needs, especially during this pandemic. My answer is simple; Do you want a resilient child? One who deals with adversity and bounces back? One who takes changes in stride? Cultivating resilient children starts by being a resilient parent. Life Has […]
A Therapist’s Tips for Managing Anxiety
You, me, our family, friends, and loved ones; we all have something in common – we experience emotions. Now everyone experiences and expresses emotions differently, but one thing is for certain, everyone experiences them. Out of the many emotions the average person experiences, there are a few that cause a pretty significant amount of discomfort. […]