Article Summaries
The Unthinkable
31 May 2013
By Jackie White Shaw, MED, LPC, LMFT
For most of us, the idea of the sexual abuse of a child is "unthinkable". Although it is very painful to hear that a child may have been abused in this way, it is almost impossible to know that reality unless we acknowledge its existence and work to understand as much as we can of the problem. Th...
What Do You Call "Success"?
31 May 2013
By Jackie Shaw, Executive Director
Edmond Family Counseling, Inc. is celebrating 35 years of service to our community this month. Thousands of people from every type of background, every socioeconomic level, every age and circumstance have walked through our doors during those 35 years. Our agency has offered respect, support, inf...
Please Draw a Picture of a House, A Tree and a Person
31 May 2013
By: Jackie Shaw, Executive Director
In the movies a “shrink” presents his patient with a series of “Ink Blots” on 8x11 cards and asks, “Tell me what you see”. This is known as a Rorschach test. At first glance this may not seem much different from looking at clouds and describing the shapes and ...
When Food is the Enemy - Part 2
31 May 2013
There are varying theories about the cause of an eating disorder, making it difficult to attribute its cause to a single factor. Most experts agree that social influences, perceived lack of control in ones life and striving to meet unrealistic expectations can all contribute to the development of an eating disorder.
Our society is o...
Risky Business
30 May 2013
By Belinda Crosier
Risk-taking is one of the double-edged swords of development and an area in which parents are eternally trying to find the balance between encouraging healthy risks and preventing foolish, dangerous ones which unfortunately abound in adolescence. The normal state of adolescence poses a triple threat for teens ...
3 Rs: Move over for the 3 Ds!
30 May 2013
By Belinda Crosier, M.E., LPC
In the face of impulsive or thoughtless behavior by a teenager, many parents find themselves succumbing to the 3 Rs: rant, rave & rescue. This refers to any lengthy combination of lecturing, castigating, threatening & forecasting of dire outcomes designed to get a kid to change behavior. (Translated: ra...
When Food is the Enemy - Part 1
30 May 2013
By Belinda Crosier
As the holidays approach, most of us eagerly anticipate sharing tantalizing holiday foods with those near and dear to us. For the person with anorexia or bulimia, however, the holidays are synonymous with anxiety, requiring an inordinate amount of planning and ingenuity to avoid or purge the food that is so centra...
Learning Disabilities
30 May 2013
By Belinda Crosier, M.E., LPC
Few things are as gratifying or comforting as knowing our child enjoys and is successful in school. It's a much different experience if ours is the child who is struggling to learn to read, write or process information, the one who seems bright and motivated, but for some reason just isn't performing to...
Codependency: Caring Overtime
30 May 2013
By Belinda Crosier, M.E., LPC
Now that the holidays are over, the Christmas decorations are put away and our schedules are returning to a lesser frenzy, we're all basking in happy memories of the season, right? Maybe not for those of us who suffer from codependency those of us who automatically turn ourselves wrong-side out to accom...
He Said, She Said
30 May 2013
By Belinda Crosier, M.E., LPC
To expand on the previous article regarding the marital relationship, lets look further at the role of communication in satisfactory relationships. When embarking upon discussion of those topics fraught with potential for conflict or misunderstanding, we might do well to ask ourselves: Is my goal to joi...
Who's This Alien That's Invaded My Child's Body????
28 May 2013
By: Belinda Crosier
If you're a parent, it will probably happen. One day you'll find your formerly adoring, sweet-tempered child has adopted strange, new behaviors and communicates by exasperated sighs, rolled eyes and an occasional whatEVER! As you try to figure out what happened or what you did to cause this--the fear gremlin quie...
Edmond Life and Leisure Article
15 May 2013
By Quinton Ellis, M.S., LPC
Summer is fast approaching and everyone I know seems just thrilled about that. I do not share their enthusiasm. Summer is, in fact, the winter of my personal discontent. In this, I am not alone, as many of the parents of the untold millions(?) of teenagers here in Edmond struggle with all the free time th...
Parenting is a Year Round Sport!
13 April 2013
By Sheila Stinnett, LPC
As we progress through the spring months and the school year comes to a close, it is important to remember that in our job as parents we get no vacations. As students escape the daily demands of their classrooms for carefree days in neighborhoods and substitute school hallways for local malls and highways, good co...Making Resolutions vs. Making Resolutions Happen
28 December 2012
By Belinda Crosier
Something about the dawning of a brand new year seems to stir in us that urge for new-ness in other areas of our lives as well; hence the birth of New Year's resolutions a new diet or exercise plan, a new-found ability to locate things once we clean out closet-- a new US in one sense or another. I doubt I'm unusua...
Support Your Kids Through Thick & Thin
01 October 2012
By Darcy McConnell, M.Ed., LADC, LPC
The month of October has been a busy month at EFC. School started in August and some were off to college while others were another year closer to high school graduation. Everyone seemed to settle in fine; some were attending football games while others were living on their own for the first time....
Back to School
10 August 2012
By Belinda Crosier, M.E., LPC
Once again, summer has flown & the schoolhouse doors will soon reopen. There is something innately liberating about summer less regimented schedules & more freedom to do as the mood moves us. For many parents, however, its a something of a comfort to have the structure of school once again imposed on th...
