The Blog
Mental Health Articles and MusingsDo’s and Don’ts As You Navigate the IEP Process
If you would like someone to partner with your family to answer questions, brainstorm accommodations and utilize effective language to support your child through the 504 or IEP process, please reach out to us.
You are Worthy of the Future you Choose, EMDR can Help
Clients often report after a few EMDR sessions that they no longer experience physical sensations or heightened emotions when triggered or remembering the traumatic event, making them able to freely live their lives unaffected by the past.
COVID & Your Children’s Mental Health
Be able to recognize behavior signs of fear and stress depending on your child’s age group.Significant changes in your child’s behavior (compared to pre-pandemic behavior) mayindicate your child needs professional help to cope with their distress.
Our Students are Stressed: How We Can Help
As students prepare for this upcoming school year, they will be faced with the extra demand of readjusting to in-person learning while still contending coronavirus pandemic restrictions. So, what guidance can we offer our children to manage their stress during the school year?
The Difference Between Big ‘T’ and Little ‘t’ Trauma
Did you know that not all trauma is the same? Trauma takes on various (sometimes unexpected) forms and impacts children and adults alike. Considered an emotional response to a terrible event, trauma infringes upon an individual’s sense of control and can alter their sense of reality.
Video Therapy: The Experience and Why We Feel It’s Just Not Enough
What felt like overnight, COVID-19 created an abrupt shift in the way we communicated- not just socially, but in the way we sought groceries, the way we attended school, and above all, the way we offered mental health care. As social distancing mandates made it...
Autism Acceptance: Advocacy for Siblings of Autistic Individuals
As you may have heard, last month was Autism Acceptance Month. While we think it’s great to designate part of the year to show our support, awareness, and acceptance of our autistic community, we would also like to emphasize the importance of autism advocacy year-round. Through our advocacy, we seek to reach beyond just those diagnosed with autism, and to shed a special light on the siblings of autistic individuals – their experiences, their needs, and just how strong of an impact autism has on their lives.
Happy March, everyone!
Lighthouse of Pontiac is our March charity. We will be collecting diapers, pull-ups and feminine products in our office waiting room, and we will be dropping everything off at the end of the month.
Art Therapy Q&A
Art Therapy is a type of psychotherapy where the creative process is used to help you express and understand how you think, feel, and act on a deeper level.
The Universal Language of Play
With the winter solstice approaching on December 21st, it seems we as a society are grappling with the possibility of change when it comes to our traditional celebrations of light and warmth around this time of year. It is fascinating in that the welcoming of the...
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, affects an estimated 10 million Americans each year. Females are about four times more likely than males to develop SAD and, although it is more common in adults, it can also affect children and young teens.
Big News
Dear clients, there will be no monthly blog this month because we are …..drum roll please…..
Your Anxious Mind in the Time of COVID
In the last week, I had three separate conversations with three different patients about how to handle their overly anxious mind during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and the transitioning out of quarantine time. It occurred to me that there are many more people...
Transitioning Out Of Quarantine
As the world is transitioning out of COVID-related lock-downs, we are seeing increased levels of anxiety in our patients, young and old(er). Here is Dr. Natasha Kendal discussing how to make this transition a little easier for everyone....
Thriving in the Time of the Pandemic (with apologies to Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
Is it wrong to be thriving in a pandemic? It is morally wrong to find pleasure or joy when others are hurting? Is it possible to encourage our kids to be happy and care-free in a world full of illness and death? I say not only is it NOT wrong to thrive and be happy...
Parenting in the age of CORONA
Today I would like to share with you some of my thoughts and musings on the struggles that parents all around me are experiencing while trying to work, teach and parent all at the same time. Now, it is self-evident that wearing multiple hats all at once is a...
COVID Musings
I usually have no trouble coming up with blog topics, but this one has been tricky. I just couldn’t put in words my thoughts and feelings as we enter the second month of the stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic here in Michigan. So, for lack of another way...
An Ode to Schedules
As I am writing this post, more and more businesses and governments are shutting down; families are staying home or only venturing out on urgent errands, and nursing homes are in lock-down modes due to the spread of Coronavirus. Many parents are struggling to balance the needs of their young children with the demands of their careers, and teachers and school districts are reinventing education to work from home.
1760 South Telegraph Rd., Suite 103
Bloomfield Hills, 48302
The front doors of the building are locked at all times.
The code is *1033, and don’t forget the STAR (*)
Phone: 248-256-5044

Teletherapy
In addition to providing therapy in our cozy Bloomfield Hills office, we offer teletherapy to clients who reside anywhere in the State of Michigan, on your time and in the comfort of your home (or office, or dorm room, or man cave or she-shed…).
Natasha Kendal, Ph.D., L.M.F.T. ©2021