How to navigate Halloween candy as a parent.

As a parent, you might feel some anxiety around Halloween approaching. There’s candy…everywhere… and your kids want it all. Or at least that’s how it may feel.

So how do you navigate allowing your child to eat candy? Many parents worry their child will eat too much.

Here’s some sweet food for thought:

• Treat candy the SAME as any other food, even vegetables.

  -Why? Because this will reduce the forbidden or “special” label on it. As humans, we like special things, limited time offers, forbidden treasures, and novelty items. By putting candy on the same playing field as veggies, it’s no longer this special it to be desired after.

• Allow your child to eat as much as they want.

  -If they eat too much, then they’ll get a stomachache and learn to eat less next time. Self regulating the amount they eat will help them feel satisfied and confident in their abilities to eat.

• Encourage your child to eat it as a part of meal or snacks.

  -This will ensure your child eats a variety of foods. This will also reinforce the first 🍭point. It also teaches that food isn’t something that needs to be earned (ex. If you eat your veggies you can get dessert).

More questions about this? Meet with our dietitian nutritionist!

Call the front desk to schedule an appointment.

When is your child's picky eating TOO picky?

“My kid is such a picky eater! I’m afraid they arent getting enough.”

Ever heard or said this phrase? Or perhaps you’ve said it before. It’s common for kids to go through a picky eating phase when they’re young. But….

How do you know when it becomes TOO PICKY?

• they become emotionally distressed when told to have a food they dislike (e.g. crying, screaming, running away from table, etc)

• they’re gagging on foods they don’t like

• they will only eat VERY specific foods

• their variety is severally limited

• they aren’t growing sufficiently

This isn’t a diagnostic list but it gives an idea of the difference between simple food preferences and a type of disorder eating, called Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).

ARFID is typically first noticed in young children and can persist into adulthood if not addressed.

It frequently includes severe texture, taste, smell, and temperature preferences, resulting in a very limited diet and anxiety around food.

How to approach treatment?

• Work with a trained ED-informed dietitian or therapist that provide in-person sessions

• they will likely have your child do controlled food exposures with feared / disliked foods

• these food exposures will likely need to be replicated and repeated at home

• understand that these feared / disliked food may be very distressing for your child… AND that don’t mean they can’t grow distress tolerance to them

Interested in treatment? Message us through our website portal!

The 4 Modules In DBT

Check out these excellent videos showing the 4 modules of DBT, taught by the founder herself, Marsha Linehan below!:

https://psychwire.com/linehan/resources/the-four-skill-modules-in-dbt?goal=0_53621bb43c-be88157f43-66065327&mc_cid=be88157f43&mc_eid=e9ccafc519

Potomac Behavioral Solutions Partners with Local Child Services Act Program to Expand Impact on Community

Potomac Behavioral Solutions (PBS) is happy to announce reaching a contract agreement with the local Child Services Act (CSA) program in order to provide therapy services to eligible youth and families!  CSA, a law enacted in the state of Virginia in 1993, provides state and local community funds to help match at risk youth and their families to public and private services that effectively meet their assessed needs.  Owner of PBS, Dr. Joanna Marino says, “We are so excited to be partnering with our local CSA program.  This provides PBS the opportunity to connect with folks who otherwise may not be eligible to receive the mental health services that we provide.  Our partnership with CSA allows us to reach a larger community to promote awareness of emotional health.” 

PBS will be providing dialectical behavioral therapy, medication management, nutrition, and consultation services through their contract with CSA.  Research shows that providing early mental health interventions in youth helps to prevent or mitigate mental health concerns later in life, which is why Dr. Marino was passionate about partnering with CSA when they reached out to PBS.  “I think it is essential to teach skills that help youth regulate and understand their emotions,” said Marino.  “Providing evidence-based treatment and teaching skills to youth and their family is a significant factor that could help prevent further mental health concerns down the road.  I am thrilled we have the opportunity to expand our impact on our local community!” 

For more information on CSA, please visit their website.  

Lending An Ear

We all just want someone to listen once and awhile. Sometimes giving advice is not the best path to take. Parents build stronger relationships with their kids if they simply follow one of the DBT golden rules: Validate. Validate. Validate. Validate. This is not easy, and it’s necessary!

Check out this fabulous article from the NYT’s on how listening and validating your children can make all the difference.

Remember parents: Advice is not always the solution!

Click here for the article.

Building Blocks For Success

We all are emotional beings. Emotions ebb and flow involuntarily just like our heartbeat. Here is a great video with some quick tips on how to help build your child up for success in life.