What to Say When There Are No Words
This week, I find myself at a loss for words. I rarely have trouble sitting down and writing. Instead of writing or doing anything really, I've napped off and on. I wish I had written on schedule and produced a blog post on Monday for publication later in the week. If...
An Exploration of Good-Enough Parenting
D. W. Winnicott coined the term “good enough mother” in 1953. The British pediatrician and psychoanalyst suggested that mothers need not be concerned with perfection, but rather with being good enough. In honor of Mother’s Day, I’d like to explore a bit about what...
Paper Art: Unfolding within the Folds
As I prepare for an upcoming play therapy workshop on working with paper, I realize that paper arts fit with another theme of my writing over the past week: the balance of nurture and structure. Rather than rehash what I wrote, here is a brief description followed by...
Dear Parents, Take Advantage of Rituals
Dear Parents, As our children are headed into the school year, whatever that looks like for you, I'd like to share a few observations: I had more hope at the end of last school year than I do at the beginning of this one. I don't think I'm alone because a couple of...
NBCC Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP)
I am really happy to announce that Dr. Emily Keller, LLC, is now approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP). We had already been an approved provider of continuing education by the Association for...
Create Moments of Playful Connection
I thought about making a list: "Ten ways to create moments of playful connection with your children." "Playfully connect with your child to fortify their emotional regulation during COVID-19.” “Five ways children are reaching out to us to meet their needs without...
Processing 2020
My mind is a sieve. Words slip by like shadows without my grasping them. And, yet, true to a form I hope foreshadows 2021, I am sitting and writing through the clouds that are my mind. Cloudiness is normal. I pause, for just a moment, not sure what to write next. I...
The Good: Opportunities to Connect
I have been following this pandemic since January. I've called every turn that affects us as a family, preparing along the way. “The kids have two more weeks at school max.” “We are not going skiing for spring break. The slopes will be closed well before April.” “I...
Dear Helpers,
Dear Helpers, I see you. As a psychotherapist who has experience working in trauma and grief, I have a sense of the space you are holding. I know well the raw emotions that are emerging. I know that holding this space requires all of you: the presence of body, mind,...
Learning from Home/Parenting During a Crisis
I am not homeschooling my children. I am schooling them from home. Not only that, but I am also getting my children through the first crisis in their lives, a global crisis. I am a mother first. My children are human beings first. I am balancing getting them through...
Play Therapy Week 2020 — In Jamaica
Every year, the Association for Play Therapy promotes "National Play Therapy Week" in February. This year, I had the pleasure of giving play therapy workshops in Port Antonio, Jamaica, during National Play Therapy Week, which was celebrated Feb. 2-8. The play therapy...
Feeling Together Episode 1 Transcript
Feeling Together Podcast - Episode 1 - Introduction to the Podcast Click here to listen to this episode. Click here to donate and support this podcast. Welcome to the Feeling Together podcast, the show that helps you are your family feel together again. Your host dr....