Lea Ray, LCSW

12/07/2022

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/teen-brains-aged-prematurely-during-the-pandemic-schools-should-take-note/2022/12

Researchers cite chronic stress during the pandemic for the phenomenon, which can affect mental health among youth.

10/30/2022

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVl-Rw1tqm1/

10/02/2022

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfcL9OHu89f/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

06/22/2022

https://www.learaylcsw.com/post/helping-your-child-handle-big-feelings-part-4-is-this-normal

I’ve established in my previous three blog posts that all children have big feelings. Developmentally, this is completely normal. Learning to calm down when you’re excited or upset is a developmental process just like gaining fine motor skills. But some children continue to have emotional meltdo...

06/22/2022

https://www.learaylcsw.com/post/for-white-parents-how-to-talk-with-your-kids-about-racism

I am writing this blog for white parents because, as a white parent and white therapist, I know (some) about how white parents should approach this conversation. Black parents, and other parents of color, have very different conversations with their children and know far more about that topic than I...

04/19/2022

https://www.learaylcsw.com/post/helping-your-child-handle-big-feelings-part-3-regulation-strategies

03/07/2022

https://www.learaylcsw.com/post/helping-your-child-handle-big-feelings-part-2-temper-tantrums

02/15/2022

https://www.learaylcsw.com/post/helping-your-child-handle-big-feelings-part-1

01/31/2022

https://www.learaylcsw.com/post/the-national-emergency-in-children-s-mental-health

In October, the American Academy of Pediatrics, along with the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Children’s Hospital Association, declared a state of national emergency in children’s mental health. In the declaration, they point out that mental health problems in childr...

12/14/2021

https://www.learaylcsw.com/post/why-your-child-doesn-t-need-a-perfect-parent

11/22/2021

https://www.learaylcsw.com/post/mindfulness-for-those-of-us-who-don-t-like-to-meditate

Mindfulness has gotten a lot of press in recent years. Celebrities are talking about it, classrooms and daycares are teaching it. It’s become an important component of many types of therapy. What is it, exactly? Here is a better overview than I can give. The super short version though, is that min...

11/09/2021

https://www.learaylcsw.com/post/how-to-handle-child-behavior-problems-part-2

Last week, we talked about some positive strategies to address children’s behavior problems. As I mentioned last week, those strategies are the foundation of your parenting strategy. Discipline and consequences won’t be effective without the warm fuzzies. But consequences are also a necessary pi...