Dual Minds Psychology

04/30/2026

I’m grateful to share that my new space in Dublin for Dual Minds Psychology will be ready starting tomorrow.🎉🙏

I thank the Lord for His faithfulness, provision, and guidance throughout this journey. This space would not have been possible without the love and support from my brothers and sisters at church and my family.

Looking forward to continuing to support children, teens, and families in a space built with care, connection, and purpose.🫶🫶

04/26/2026

I’m thankful to Agape Community Center for the opportunity to be invited as a guest speaker for
“Guiding the Heart – Supporting Your Teen’s Emotional & Identity Development.”

I was encouraged by the level of participation, honesty, and sharing from the parents—it made the space meaningful and real.

Moments like this remind me that growth is mutual. As we support families, we also continue to grow as professionals.

Grateful to be part of this journey together.

04/22/2026

Reminder for this Friday 📣

I’ll be leading a Family Workshop on Teen Emotional & Identity Development in San Francisco.

We’ll cover:• How teens interpret correction• Building confidence through communication• Supporting healthy identity development

🗓 April 24 | 7:30 PM

Join us if you’re navigating parenting a teen—you’re not alone in this.

04/15/2026

Most parents ask me:

“What strategy will fix my child’s behavior?”

But here’s what often gets missed—

Your child is learning more from how you respond… than what you say.

Not your rules.
Not your reminders.
Not your consequences.

👉 You.🤝👏

The way you handle stress.
The way you stay calm (or don’t).
The way you repair after hard moments.

That’s what shapes:

emotional regulation
confidence
resilience

I recently wrote about this because it’s one of the most powerful (and overlooked) shifts I see in my work with families.

If you’ve ever felt like “nothing is working,”
This might change how you see things.

Read more here:

Your child is learning far more from who you are than what you say.

04/12/2026

What worries parents most…
Is not always what children need most.

Grades matter.
But emotional resilience, identity, and self-worth matter more.

Are we teaching the right things?

04/07/2026

A diagnosis is not the goal.
Understanding your child is.

Ryan Yam, Psy. D.
Dual Minds Psychology

04/02/2026

I’ve been invited as a guest speaker for an upcoming parent workshop in San Francisco on Friday, April 24 from 7:30–9:00 PM.

📍 Agape Community Center
378 18th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94118

I’ll be speaking on teen identity formation and how it impacts adolescents’ motivation, emotional regulation, behavior, and school engagement.

We’ll explore how identity, emotions, and decision-making are connected—and how parents can guide their teens in a way that supports both development and learning.

This is a community-based session focused on practical strategies that parents can apply at home and in support of their child’s success in school.

Led by Ryan Yam, Psy.D.
Licensed Educational Psychologist (CA) & Licensed Psychologist (NM)

RSVP recommended.

This workshop is educational in nature and not a substitute for individual psychological services.

03/31/2026

If you feel like you’re constantly reminding your child… you’re not alone.

Many parents I work with share:
“I’ve told him so many times already.”
“She just won’t listen.”
“He only does it when I get upset.”

It’s exhausting—and over time, it can start to feel like your child is being difficult on purpose.

But often, that’s not what’s happening.

Your child may be struggling with executive functioning skills, such as:
• Getting started on tasks
• Shifting from preferred to non-preferred activities
• Remembering multi-step directions
• Following through independently

So instead of asking:
“Why won’t you just do it?”

It can be more helpful to ask:
“What skill does my child need support with right now?”

When we shift from repeated reminders → skill-building and support,
we reduce power struggles and build more cooperation at home.

You’re not alone in this—and there are effective ways to support your child.

Ryan Yam, Psy.D.
Dual Minds Psychology

如果你覺得自己成日都要提醒小朋友……其實你並唔係唯一一個。

好多家長都會同我講：
「我已經講咗好多次啦。」
「佢根本唔聽我講。」
「一定要我發脾氣，佢先肯做。」

呢種情況，真係會令人好攰、好無力。
慢慢地，甚至會覺得小朋友係「故意唔合作」。

但其實，情況未必係咁。

好多時，小朋友係執行功能（executive functioning）方面有困難，例如：
• 好難開始做一件事
• 難以由鍾意做嘅事轉去唔鍾意做嘅事
• 容易唔記得多步驟指示
• 難以自己跟進完成任務

所以，比起問：
「點解你仲唔做？」

不如試下問：
「而家佢係欠缺邊一方面嘅能力？」

當我哋由不斷提醒 → 轉為幫助小朋友建立能力，
就可以減少衝突，亦更容易建立合作關係。

你並唔孤單，亦有方法可以幫助你同你嘅小朋友。

Ryan Yam, Psy.D.
Dual Minds Psychology

03/26/2026

I recently updated my website to better support families in understanding concerns such as ADHD, executive functioning, anxiety, and behavioral challenges, and to make it easier to navigate next steps for care.

I also aimed to make it a helpful resource for professionals who may be looking for referrals for children, adolescents, or parent support.

Feel free to take a look or share if helpful:
www.dualmindspsychology.com

I’m currently offering telehealth across New Mexico, as well as in-person services in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I’m always happy to collaborate.

Dr. Ryan Yam, Psy.D. offers child & family therapy and psychological assessments in San Francisco Bay Area and New Mexico. Fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

03/25/2026

New Mexico jury finds Meta harmful to children’s mental health.

As a psychologist working with children and adolescents, this headline is not surprising—but it is important.

In clinical work, we are increasingly seeing how digital environments impact:
• Attention and focus (especially for children with ADHD)
• Emotional regulation
• Self-esteem and peer comparison
• Sleep and daily routines

The conversation is often framed as “Is social media bad for kids?”
But a more meaningful question may be:

Do children have the skills to manage it?

Children are still developing executive functioning skills—such as impulse control, delayed gratification, and self-monitoring. These are the exact areas that social media tends to challenge the most.

Technology itself is not the problem.
But without the right support, structure, and guidance, it can easily outpace a child’s ability to regulate and respond.

In my work with families, I often focus on helping children build these foundational skills, while supporting parents in creating realistic and effective boundaries at home.

This also connects to something I’ve been reflecting on recently:
Are we helping children develop character and self-regulation before expecting performance?

I’m curious—how are other parents and professionals approaching screen time and social media with children today?

Ryan Yam, Psy.D.
Dual Minds Psychology

新墨西哥州陪審團裁定：Meta 對兒童心理健康有負面影響。

作為一位專門與兒童及青少年工作的心理學家，這個結果其實並不令人意外，但確實值得我們重視。

在臨床工作中，我愈來愈常見到數碼環境對孩子帶來的影響，例如：
• 專注力及持續注意（特別是有 ADHD 的孩子）
• 情緒調節能力
• 自我形象及與同儕比較
• 睡眠及日常作息

與其單純問「社交媒體對小朋友是否有害？」
或許更重要的是：

孩子是否具備足夠的能力去管理和使用它？

兒童的大腦仍在發展，尤其是執行功能，例如：
• 抑制衝動
• 延遲滿足
• 自我監察

而這些正正是社交媒體最容易挑戰的部分。

科技本身並不是問題，
但如果缺乏適當的引導、結構及支持，很容易超出孩子現階段可以應付的能力。

在我的工作中，我會幫助孩子建立這些基礎能力，同時支持家長在家中建立實際而有效的界線。

這亦令我近期一直在思考一個問題：
我們是否先培養孩子的品格與自我調節能力，才追求表現與成就？

我也很想聽聽大家的看法——
家長或專業人士，你們如何看待孩子使用電子產品及社交媒體呢？

Ryan Yam, Psy.D.
Dual Minds Psychology

03/24/2026

In today’s world, we often focus on results—grades, performance, achievements.

But long-term success is built on something deeper:

✔ Emotional regulation
✔ Resilience
✔ Responsibility
✔ Empathy

Before achievement… comes character.

03/22/2026

After reflecting on “Character Before Achievement,” I’ve been thinking about what happens when we reverse the order.

When children are pushed toward achievement without a strong foundation in emotional regulation, resilience, and self-awareness, we often see:

• Anxiety around performance
• Avoidance of challenges
• Difficulty coping with setbacks
• Low frustration tolerance
• Over-reliance on external validation

In these cases, the issue is not a lack of ability—but a lack of foundation.

Achievement can be built quickly.
Character takes time.

But in the long run, character is what sustains success.

— Ryan Yam, Psy.D.
Dual Minds Psychology