GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
A huge part of being able to build a strong relationship is to know how to acknowledge your partner’s qualities, and be able to articulate why the qualities are important to you. Building a strong foundation takes time, dedication and patience. Couples need to learn how to communicate, compromise, and express appreciation for one another. […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
A huge part of encouraging a child to continue to engage in good behavior is to provide positive reinforcement. Reinforcement is a powerful tool because it helps a child learn what behaviors will get a positive reaction from the people around them. It helps them to understand consequences and how to behave in a way […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Just like adults, children can have a hard time controlling their anger. They often do not understand how their anger affects them, and how it affects others. Children can struggle to learn how to process and express negative feelings like anger, so it is important to teach emotional intelligence skills to keep them grounded when […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Mindfulness is an important exercise to practice regularly. Clients must learn how to be mindful of themselves, their needs and their emotional wellness in order to ensure good mental health. Families often need mindfulness exercises to ensure their mental health and relationships as well. Family mindfulness is a great way to bring families closer together. […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
When used properly, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a very effective form of therapy. CBT helps people work on their problem behavior by providing a means to understand their thoughts and feelings. People often react to stressors quickly, and that can prevent them from thinking things through. CBT teaches a person how to slow down […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Stress is a natural part of life. Everyone experiences stress, and everyone is affected by stress in different ways. It is important to know how to manage stress. When you do not know how to manage your own stress, you face consequences like anxiety, depression and sleep issues. The first step to learning how to […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Grieving can be a very overwhelming and confusing time for a child. Loss and death is a complex concept, and it can be hard for a child to understand what death and loss means, and how the permanence will affect them. It is not uncommon for a child to feel many different feelings, and not […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
A huge part of successfully developing effective communication skills is understanding what it means to be assertive. Assertive communication skills are essential for clients who are learning how to express themselves effectively. When a person is assertive, they are able to make their point and perspective clear. They are able to state their needs and […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Emotions can be challenging to understand. It is not uncommon for people to feel different emotions at the same time and not understand why. When people don’t understand what is fueling their emotions or how they are connected they cannot understand what is needed to appropriately manage and take control of their emotions. About This […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Using methods from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a great way to help children understand and take accountability for their feelings and actions. CBT helps kids understand their thoughts, feelings and behaviors, which can be instrumental in building self-esteem. It also helps with modifying problematic behaviors. Helping a child understand their thoughts, feelings and actions […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
When dealing with a client who is struggling with self-confidence and low self-esteem, it is important to ensure that they are aware of their protective factors. Knowing your own protective factors is important. Protective factors serve as a source of strength, hope and comfort when dealing with a challenge. Sometimes a client is not aware […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
An important part of teaching a child responsibility, accountability and maturity is to provide structure and routine in the daily schedule. With the help of chores and responsibilities around the house, the child is able to learn how to interact with the world, how to take initiative to be self-sufficient, and how to internalize the […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Reinforcement exercises are a helpful tool when teaching children healthy communication and behavior habits. With positive reinforcement, a child learns what types of behaviors elicit positive reactions from people. Through using positive reinforcement techniques like reward systems, children can learn how to behave well in school, at home, and in counseling. About This Worksheet This […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
When a child is suffering from the effects of anxiety, trauma, abuse, or behavioral problems, he or she feels helpless and vulnerable. These feelings can prevent the child from taking action in taking care of themselves when it counts. In order to ensure a child develops the skills needed to become mentally and emotionally strong […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Children can have a particularly difficult time communicating how they feel. There could be a few different reasons for this. Whether they are afraid, frustrated, or simply do not understand how to express emotions, the ability to talk about how a child feels is important. An emotion that is especially important to be able to […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Dialectical behavioral therapy is particularly useful when it comes to teaching a client how to handle distressing or upsetting situations. DBT teaches coping skills for stress tolerance, emotional regulation, and the reduction of mood swings and panic attacks. DBT provides several different tools that help a person learn how to cope with upsetting emotions like […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
At some point in a client’s journey, he or she will need to take a step back to evaluate how he or she is managing self-care. It is important for a client to be well-aware of what he or she needs to be able to maintain self-care, and to understand a hierarchy in which the […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
It is important to have a list of goals and objectives for the client and therapist to work toward when beginning a new therapeutic relationship. Setting goals creates a foundation that helps the client and therapist stay on track when helping a client feel better. Setting goals also empowers a client to stay on track […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Arguments are never easy, but it is important to know how to effectively argue to keep lines of communication open. Often when people struggle with arguments the point of the argument is lost, which prevents the partners to find resolution. This is why it is important to learn how to effectively argue to find resolution […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Working on communication in relationships is an integral part in strengthening the bond between a couple. Often, people who are struggling in a relationship have a hard time expressing their needs in an open and effective way. This can often cause tension in a relationship and cause a rift between partners. About This Worksheet This […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Teaching emotional intelligence skills is important when working with young children. Often children have feelings they may not understand, which makes it difficult for them to express how they are feeling and if they are upset. This struggle can prevent caretakers and parents from being able to understand the child’s needs, and can further complicate […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
When we are kids, we have a good grasp of what it means to experience those staple emotions: Happy, sad, angry, excited, etc. We learn about emotions slowly, what they mean, and how to manage them. As we develop, our brain expands, and our understanding of emotions and how we feel becomes more complex. For […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
There are many reasons why rewarding systems and operant conditioning strategies can be beneficial for a client. Whether it is to learn new parenting skills, communication skills, or leadership skills, understanding the process of reinforcement and punishment styles can be instrumental in a client’s therapeutic process. While helpful skills to learn, understanding the difference between […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
It is important for children to feel empowered and confident in themselves. Confidence helps a child feel proud, motivates them to learn and engage with others, and helps them build social skills and resilience that will be useful in the real world. Unfortunately, many children find it difficult to identify their positive qualities and what […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Grief is one of the most difficult things in life that we have to go through. It is confusing, upsetting, painful, and sometimes traumatic. A child is especially affected by grief and loss because they do not understand they may not understand what it means to lose someone, and certainly do not understand how to […]
View More
GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Working with children is as challenging as it is rewarding. As we know, children perceive and interpret their world very differently than adults. As children develop they begin to understand their lives and their influence on it in different ways. While they grow their understanding and expression of their emotions become more complex, which makes […]
View More
You may view this content and support us by disabling your ad blocker or white list PsychPoint.com