For years, the "gold standard" of digital parenting was the kitchen timer. We set 60 minutes for Minecraft, 30 minutes for YouTube, and when the buzzer went off, the device went away. But as we’ve seen heading into 2026, rigid rules often create a "forbidden fruit" effect or, worse, leave kids without the very skill they need most: the ability to listen to their own brains.
Children are constantly learning to navigate a complex world and, sometimes, the feelings and challenges they face feel too overwhelming or too abstract for words. As adults, we often have the vocabulary and emotional awareness to articulate our struggles. But what about a child who is experiencing anxiety, sadness, or anger without the means to express it verbally? This is where play therapy becomes a powerful and invaluable tool.
Some kids don’t just feel—they feel deeply. They take in the world with an intensity that can be breathtaking in its beauty and overwhelming in its weight. These are the children and teens who light up with joy, crumble with disappointment, notice subtleties others miss, and respond to the emotional climate around them with exquisite sensitivity.
For many parents, raising a deeply feeling kid is both a profound gift and a genuine challenge. Their tenderness invites empathy and connection, yet their intensity can leave adults unsure of how to help them navigate big internal experiences that seem to arrive without warning.
This depth of feeling not as something to “fix,” but as something to understand—a signal about the child or teen’s inner world. Sensitivity is not a flaw; it is a form of emotional richness.
For parents of children and teens with big feelings…
Parents often bring their kids to therapy feeling frustrated, confused, or worn down by their child or teen’s behavior. The emotional outbursts, the withdrawal, the snarkiness or refusal to talk — it can all feel overwhelming. In those moments, it’s natural to reach for strategies: What consequence will work? How can I stop the yelling? What can I say to get through?
But from a psychodynamic perspective, we start somewhere deeper.
We begin with understanding — because behavior, especially intense behavior, is almost always a messenger.
Emotional regulation and resilience are skills—not traits kids are born with. For kids with more highly sensitive temperaments, strengthening emotional regulation and resilience is a process that takes time and support. So, we’re sharing simple ways you can help your child build emotional strength, one moment at a time. 💪💚
If you’re raising a pre-teen or teen right now, you probably already know how much social media is part of their world. It’s how they connect with friends, discover new interests, and figure out who they are. While that can feel exciting, it can also feel scary as a parent. You might even wonder if the safest choice is to ban social media altogether.
As a child psychotherapist, I often see pre-teen girls grappling with the challenge of developing an authentic sense of self. This stage of life is filled with rapid developmental changes, both physical and emotional, and it can be difficult for young girls to navigate these changes while staying true to themselves. Here are some strategies that can help pre-teen girls work toward developing an authentic sense of self:
Have you ever wondered how to help your teen understand what anxiety is and why talking about their feelings can bring them some relief? If so, here’s what you can say. Read on…
Oh, what to do, what to do?
We know that most parents are concerned about the amount of time their children spend on devices and behind screens. It can be especially challenging in high-stress situations, as we often find ourselves turning to technology to help our kiddos calm down when feeling overwhelmed or in a challenging situation or environment. While it’s important to keep a balance between device time and other activities, having a toolbox for tough situations will make it much easier to help your child to better manage their big feelings.
Here are some non-screen ideas to help children to manage emotions: