Things to Avoid Saying to Your Child During a Divorce

Reprinted in Your Tango December 2021
https://www.yourtango.com/family/10-most-damaging-things-parents-say-children-divorce

Originally appeared in Fatherly July 2018 
https://www.fatherly.com/love-money/divorce-things-to-never-say-to-children/

As a health, media and educational/child psychologist and former trainer for parents in Pittsburgh’s Divorce Education program, I was interviewed by “Fatherly” about things to never say to your kids during a divorce. The latest project around children and divorce is acting as a board member and contributor for a new film that will air on PBS in the fall about ways to help families navigate the storm of during divorce. I would offer the following key points:

Read more

Share this:

TOO MUCH SOCIAL MEDIA MAY HARM A WOMAN’S BODY IMAGE

Originally appeared on HealthDay.com May 2018
Too Much Social Media May Harm a Woman’s Body Image and WebMD at: Social Media May Harm a Woman’s Body Image

SOCIAL MEDIA

WHY ARE THE EFFECTS OF MEDIA ON WOMEN’S SELF-IMAGE AND HEALTH SO DAMAGING?

Award-winning author, Dr. Nancy Mramor Kajuth

I was not surprised to learn, as a media expert, that a study at the University of South Wales showed that over an hour a day on social media can lead to increased body image issues for women, as health and media are so closely related. Why is this and what can you do about it?

Read more

Share this:

Social Media is Confusing to the Brain

Original comments for an interview in Esquire Magazine with Luke O’Neil

Animal videos, family news, staying connected and innocent jokes were the original intent of social media but when you deviate, there is the potential for problems for you and others. Fake news, political arguments, hostile or inappropriate content and even enhanced images can confuse social media. And when you are switching back and forth, for example from an image of a mistreated animal to a funny video and then back to a more serious post, the brain has to multi-task and switch quickly which may not be good in the long run.

Read more

Share this:

Music: how and why it works for better health

Originally from an interview with Jenna Birch at Fitbit   

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MUSIC’S EFFECT ON YOU?

The potential benefits of music as a therapeutic and healing tool are endless!  The ways that music affects you can have a big impact on health, happiness and personal growth, or they can just be a way to reduce stress and enhance mood.  Some of the specifics about music include:

-This is Your Brain on Music” (Plume/Penguin, 2007) tells us that listening to and playing music increases the body’s production of the antibody immunoglobulin A and natural killer cells — the cells that attack invading viruses and boost the immune system’s effectiveness. Music also reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Read more

Share this:

Why Couples Rush to therapy

Couples Blog for Bravo – Jen Glantz
Originally written for Bravo, Personal Space, September 2017. Personal Space is Bravo’s home for all things “relationship.”

 

The days of When Harry Met Sally when you could marry your long-time best friend aren’t over, but they have taken a backseat to new ways of meeting online. Rules for relationships aren’t clear online and they need to be written in a way that is understandable. But Integrity, honesty and being upfront about who you are haven’t gone out of style though, and when things get rough more couples are going to therapy in real life. And because media always keeps up with real life, you can catch celebrities working it out on the air in Couples Therapy.  So why is everyone using therapy to help their relationships?

Read more

Share this:

Why do people like Hillary Clinton Love Watching HGTV?


Originally appeared in Dow Jones Moneyish interview  Sept. 19, 2017

Of all of the magazines that I have in my waiting room at my psychology practice, HGTV is the one that everyone reads! And the HGTV channels are the ones that everyone watches because they can they can lose themselves in a sea of possibilities. Many Pinterest pages are really about decorating and home projects, as these topics are very appealing to a large number of people.

Read more

Share this:

Is YouTube a Good Idea for Toddlers?


Originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times reporter David Pierson and I looked at why preschoolers like YouTube and whether it is good for them. And it is hard to avoid. While TV time can be limited, if your youngster has an iPad, then they have access to TV through YouTube all the time. Those who have never seen TV may be familiar with Hannah Montana in any case.

“The family and learning space is incredibly important to YouTube and one that is continuing to grow,” said Malik Ducard, YouTube’s global head of family and learning. And a quick review of the YouTube toddlers’ options proved that the same preschool shows that are available on TV are also on YouTube. Kids can meet Big Bird on Sesame Street.

Read more

Share this:

3 Ways to Help Children Feel Safe in A Changing World with Dr. Nancy and Huffington Post

Helping Our Children Feel Safe in a Changing World.

What they learn about the world comes largely through media. So…

Read more

Share this: