Are your youngsters excited about the upcoming holiday? Halloween is a favorite time of year for most kids, but this year brings some new challenges. No one wants to take the joy of this annual fest/feast away from kids. To help keep them safe, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has put out some smart guidelines on trick-or-treating and other Halloween events. Mask Up but Mask Right! First, make sure that your...
Bullies have been around since time immemorial, but with the heightened tensions and anxieties in our country related to the virus, politics, racism and more, children and teens are experiencing an increase in conflict and bullying incidents. Bulling comes in four basic forms: Verbal bullying involves the use of spoken words, with the bully threatening or calling someone by degrading names. It may also involve the use of slurs toward family or friends...
As of the beginning of the 2020 school year, officials in both Nassau and Suffolk County have put organized school sports on hold. While opinions vary as to whether this is a good idea, what’s important for parents is knowing how you can support your children’s physical and mental well-being during this difficult time. Andrew Malekoff, Executive Director of North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center, was a multi-sport athlete during...
October marks the beginning of Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, but if you’re thinking of adding a dog (or cat or other pet) to the family, adoption is a great way to go any time of year. You not only add a wonderful companion to your life, but also save a life. Many families have adopted animals during the pandemic, since they’ve had more time at home to spend with their...
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, this week’s blog takes a look at our Latina Girls Project, which was created to respond to the alarming rate of depression, school refusal, self-harm, sexual abuse, suicidal ideation and attempted suicides by Hispanic teen girls. In her work as Associate Executive Director at the Guidance Center, Regina Barros-Rivera has counseled numerous teens who suffer from depression and anxiety. But nearly a decade ago, she...
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on our country and across the globe, impacting the physical and mental health of children, families and individuals of every kind. But the Asian-American community has faced an additional trauma: All over the world, including right here on Long Island, there’s been an enormous increase in acts of bias against Asian-Americans. According to NBC News and the Center for Public Integrity, more than 30 percent of...
It’s a phone call we get nearly every day at North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center: A parent tells us their son or daughter seems very depressed and anxious. They worry that their child may be at risk for self-harm or even suicide. “Families are in desperate need of help because their tweens and teens are expressing suicidal feelings,” says Regina Barros-Rivera, Associate Executive Director of the Guidance Center. “And...
September is National Obesity Awareness Month, but it’s always a good time to talk to your kids about healthy eating—especially with many adults and children alike having put on weight from stress eating and inactivity due to the pandemic. Sadly, being significantly overweight is very common. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of children and adolescents affected by obesity has more than tripled since the 1970s. Today,...
Leaving for college for the very first time is an incredibly challenging, exciting and important moment for students and their families. With so many uncertainties still surrounding college life amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the normal fears and anxieties in both incoming freshmen and their parents have been escalated. When I first left to attend college in my freshman year, the transition from living at home to living in a new state...
As fall approaches, the return to school is weighing heavily on students and their parents alike. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, most schools have adopted at least a partially remote learning model for the fall semester. Families were first rushed into remote learning in March 2020 as schools quickly shut down, and many are looking to find ways to improve the experience of remote learning for the fall. For younger students...