Child and Family Mental Health - Montgomery County, MD - Bethesda - Maryland - Child Therapist - Teen Adolescent Therapy Counseling - Washington, DC

Quality Therapy for You, Your Child, and Your Family

3930 Knowles Avenue :: Suite 200 and Suite 206 :: Kensington, MD 20895
phone: 301-466-9526 :: email us

  • Home
  • Services
    • Family Therapy
    • Couples Therapy
    • Individual Therapy
    • Play Therapy
    • Group Therapy
    • Referral and Advocacy
    • Parenting Consultations
    • Psychological Consultations and Evaluations
  • Forms
  • Our Clinicians
    • Jonah Green, LCSW-C
    • Ricardo “Ric” Andrews, LGPC
    • Heidi Cohen, LCSW-C, CGABS
    • Ashley Copeland, LCMFT
    • Katherine Doyle, LMSW
    • Jingshuai Du, Ph.D., LGMFT
    • Chris Erb, LGMFT
    • Jennifer Firestone, LCSW-C
    • Shannon Golub, MSW Student Intern
    • Paul Higgins, JD, LMSW
    • Sheva Melmed, LCSW-C
    • Yasmin Meyers, LCSW-C
    • Lori Rothfeld, JD, LMSW
    • Annie C. Scheiner, LCMFT
    • Abigail Schwartz, JD, LCSW-C
    • Farah Shirazi, LMSW
    • Jess Silbermann, LCSW-C
    • Kathy Voglmayr, LCSW-C
  • Blog
  • Resources For Families
    • Supports and Services for Children and Families
    • Recommended Providers for Children, Adolescents and Families
    • Recommended Books and Other Media
  • Resources For Clinicians
  • Contact

Welcome to Our Blog!

This blog is written by the clinicians at Jonah Green and Associates, a mental health practice based in Kensington, MD that provides quality services for children, teens, families, and adults. It is intended as a resource for families who are seeking to expand their knowledge about mental health and mental health services, and also as a resource for families who are seeking quality mental health services, especially in the mid-Atlantic region. Please feel free to post questions and comments on any of the entries as well as on any topics or articles from our companion web site www.childandfamilymentalhealth.com.

March 8, 2023

A Shared Space for Healing: Family Therapy for Addiction

In her song “Drinkin’ Problem,” Lori McKenna describes the effects of a “drinking problem” in excruciating detail:

I can’t hardly get out of bed, I can’t hardly clear my head

Of last night’s spinning, smokey memories

I call in sick to work, I tell ‘em my whole body hurts

Yeah, I think this drinkin’ just might be the death of me.

Towards the end of the song, we realize that the singer is not a drinker; instead, these ill effects are due to her partner’s drinking:

I swear that every bottle you bring home

Leaves me feeling that much more alone…

No, I never touch the stuff, but, honey, I’ll tell you what

You can’t count all the ways it touches me 

As McKenna’s song graphically illustrates,  the tragedy and disruption accompanying compulsive or destructive behaviors or the use of substances can devastate individuals, families, and loved ones. People with addiction may neglect caretaking, vocational, and other responsibilities; they may withdraw emotionally, lash out verbally or physically, and get in legal trouble. Family members may experience painful anger, hurt, loneliness, and anxiety and have problems functioning. They often live in despair of meeting their needs or fear what may happen next. Loved ones may even develop unhealthy coping behaviors; others may unwittingly enable addiction, often out of the desire to avoid conflict.  

But just as they suffer from addiction, family members can be crucial to healing. The love, compassion, and insight of loved ones can powerfully influence the recovery of those with addiction. Family therapy, often used in conjunction with other interventions, can help families break cycles of behavior that are a part of addiction and provide a forum for relationship healing.

Here is what families can expect from family therapy when addiction is involved:

How Effective Is Family Therapy in Addiction Treatment?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Addiction, Families and Society, Family Therapy Tagged With: addiction, family therapy, Jonah Green

February 19, 2023

Finding Trauma Treatment for Children in Your Care

Childhood trauma can result from acute or prolonged emotionally or physically threatening experiences, including abuse or neglect, accidents, illness, familial conflict, loss, or discrimination.  Traumatized children may feel overwhelmed, helpless, or shocked and have difficulty processing their experiences. Signs of trauma include prolonged anger, sadness, or fear; numbness; nightmares or flashbacks; irritability; and frequent upset. 

Through treatment, children can carry traumatic memories less painfully. Any good therapy for trauma starts with a “trauma-informed therapist.” Trauma-informed practice principles include: recognizing trauma and can bear witness to it; creating a safe space with structure and predictability; collaborating with children and their families; drawing on their clients’ strength and resilience; and being sensitive to issues of culture, ethnicity, gender, and identity.  

A woman holds a child tightly.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Therapy, Trauma Tagged With: Lori Rothfeld, trauma

December 19, 2022

For This New Year’s Resolution, Consider Adding a Self-Compassion Goal 

As you welcome the new year, you may have resolved to accomplish a specific goal or improve or change a behavior. Unfortunately, many of us find that despite our best intentions, we often have little success in attaining or maintaining our set goals. The pattern is familiar – we ring in the new year with renewed motivation and determination for a fresh start, only to find ourselves feeling discouraged and guilty a few months down the road because we fell short of attaining our goals. While it’s natural to be self-critical, research has shown that self-judgment negatively correlates with goal motivation and goal progress, thus removing us farther from our resolutions. In contrast, studies show that people with high self-compassion are more motivated to correct their errors and are more likely to confront their weaknesses and make positive changes. 

 

[Read more…]

Filed Under: General, mental health, Parenting, Self-Care Tagged With: self-compassion, Yasmin Meyers

November 19, 2022

Understanding and Combating Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling that most of us have experienced at one time or another. Anxiety serves a practical purpose: to warn us of potential dangers. Unfortunately, in modern life, the “warning” is often outsized or simply irrational compared to the size or likelihood of the perceived threat. Whether the worry is about tests at school, weather forecasts, fear of being judged by others, or worry about feeling worried, anxiety can be frustrating at best and downright debilitating at worst.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anxiety, Managing Mood and Regulating Emotions, mental health Tagged With: anxiety disorders, Chris Erb, Jonah Green

September 12, 2022

Increasing Our Wellbeing by Connecting with the Earth

Ecotherapy, sometimes called Nature Therapy, is a mental health treatment that focuses on interactions between humans and the natural world. Specifically, Ecotherapy focuses on the Earth as a living system and emphasizes how all living things on Earth are interconnected. The concept is familiar to many indigenous people, and many non-Western cultures have recognized it.

Family Walking - Menth Health Maryland

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Therapy Tagged With: Nature Therapy

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 28
  • Next Page »

Connect with Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Our Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

RECENT POSTS

  • A Shared Space for Healing: Family Therapy for Addiction
  • Finding Trauma Treatment for Children in Your Care
  • For This New Year’s Resolution, Consider Adding a Self-Compassion Goal 
  • Understanding and Combating Anxiety
  • Increasing Our Wellbeing by Connecting with the Earth

Resources

  • Child and Family Mental Health Web Site
  • Co-parenting Resources
  • E-Group for Parents of School-age Children with Special Needs
  • Find a Therapist in Metro DC
  • Good Therapy Web Site
  • Help for your Anxious Child
  • Help for Your Depressed Teen
  • Resources For Families with Teens and Adults with Developmental Disabilities in Montgomery County, MD
  • Resources for Parents in Metro DC area
  • Setting Limits on Your Kids' Screen Time
  • Support for ADHD
  • Support for Stepfamilies
  • What to Expect from a Therapist

Topics

  • Addiction
  • ADHD
  • Adolescence and Young Adults
  • Adoption
  • Anxiety
  • Child Development
  • children and schools
  • communication
  • Couples
  • Disability and families
  • Families and Society
  • Family Therapy
  • General
  • Grief and Loss
  • Health
  • Managing Mood and Regulating Emotions
  • mental health
  • Parenting
  • Relationships
  • Self-Care
  • Separation, Divorce, and Stepfamilies
  • sexuality
  • Siblings
  • Social Media
  • Therapy
  • Trauma
  • Uncategorized

Jonah Green and Associates, LLC

Jonah Green and Associates, LLC is a highly regarded group of mental health clinicians who treat children, teens, and families with a variety of emotional, behavioral, and relationship concerns... read more
verified by Psychology Today verified by Psychology Today Directory Jonah Green - Wiser

RECENT POSTS

  • A Shared Space for Healing: Family Therapy for Addiction
  • Finding Trauma Treatment for Children in Your Care
  • For This New Year’s Resolution, Consider Adding a Self-Compassion Goal 
  • Understanding and Combating Anxiety
  • Increasing Our Wellbeing by Connecting with the Earth

Connect with Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

SEARCH

Serving Maryland, Montgomery County, Kensington, Rockville, Silver Spring, Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Washington, DC

2023 © Jonah Green and Associates - Child and Family Mental Health
Website Design by: VanStudios