Asperger's Conference 2010

Southeast Psych, together with Thompson Child and Family Focus and The Epiphany School, announces our first annual Asperger's Conference this Thursday, May 20th, from 9am until 1pm.  The conference will be on the campus of Thompson Child and Family Focus and registration is only $40 per person.  


Dr. Frank Gaskill, who is well-known in the Charlotte area and beyond for his work with children with Asperger's is the keynote speaker, followed by Dr. Craig Pohlman, the director of Mind Matters at Southeast Psych and the author or co-author of three books, including How Can My Kid Succeed in School?  


In the afternoon sessions, you will have a choice of "Marriage and Asperger's" given by Dr. Jonathan Feather and Josh Jensen or "Super Social Skills" given by Mary B. Moore.  


It's a great line-up of excellent presenters with great content.  We already have more than 100 people registered and there is still time to get on board.  If you are interested, please click here to send Patsy your information or call her directly at 704-552-0116.  We hope to see you there.

10 Ways to Protect Yourself From Danger

by Dr. Barrie Morganstein

We know that the world can be a scary place, but we still need to live in it.  With a few smart behaviors, we can increase our personal safety.  Below is a list of ten smart safety tips that everyone should use.

1.    Don’t look vulnerable (e.g., stay off your cell phone, don’t hold your purse loosely, etc.)

2.    Identify potential dangers (e.g., people trying to distract you, ask for directions, ask for help, etc.) 

3.    Avoid dangerous locations (e.g., avoid empty parking garages, isolated locations, etc.)

4.    Be aware of your surroundings (e.g., check out people around you, identify areas that people can hide, look for escape routes, etc.)

5.    Don’t make assumptions that people are safe because they look “nice”

6.    Don’t tempt fate (i.e., why shop and run errands at night when you can do this in daylight?)

7.    Avoid going out alone (there is safety in numbers)

8.    Know the “tricks of the trade” that predators use (e.g., offering to help you so you feel indebted to “help” them, making unsolicited promises – “I’m a good guy”, “I won’t hurt you”, etc.)

9.    If  you carry a protection tool (e.g., pepper spray, a club, taser, etc.) make sure you know how to use it properly (don’t become your own victim)

10.Don’t be afraid of hurting someone’s feelings; if they look “sketchy” or make you feel uncomfortable, roll up your windows, lock your door, or cross to the other side of the street; hurting a stranger’s feelings is a small price to pay for your safety.

Dr. Barrie Morganstein is a psychologist at Southeast Psych who sees clients of all ages.

Ten Great Ways to Manage Stress

by Dr. Barrie Morganstein

Keeping yourself from stressing out in the first place is probably the best tactic. However, if you have already arrived at that stressful place, here is a list of ten techniques that you can use to bring yourself back to nirvana (or at least your living room).

1. Breathing exercises (i.e., slow rhythmic breathing can lower your blood pressure and heart rate)

2. Visualization/Guided imagery (positive thoughts such as acing an interview or relaxing on the beach can make you feel more positive and even help you achieve goals)

3. Meditation (frequently involving deep breathing combined with visualization)

4. Exercise (the endorphins that you create while exercising are natural stress relievers)

5. Progressive muscle relaxation (a combination of visualization and body awareness, this can create physical as well as mental relaxation)

6. Listen to music (music can slow your breathing, pulse, and heart rate as well as bring about a natural calm)

7. Biofeedback (using a simple electronic device, it is possible to use your body to relax your mind and vice versa)

8. Yoga (also known as “moving mediation”, can bring about mental and physical relaxation)

9. Make a To Do list (having a list can not only get your duties out of your head and on to paper, but checking them off as you go feels pretty good)

10. Pets (snuggling with cute warm fuzzies can make anyone feel better instantly)

Dr. Barrie Morganstein is a licensed psychologist at Southeast Psych in Charlotte.  She sees clients of all ages.

How Can I Succeed at College?

Southeast Psych is thrilled to let you know about an upcoming half-day workshop for students who are serious about their college success.  Parents and other family members are also invited.


It will be Sunday afternoon, April 25th from 1-5:30pm at the Charlotte Marriott Southpark in Charlotte, NC.  The featured speakers will be Dr. Craig Pohlman, author of How Can My Kid Succeed in School? and Dr. Dave Verhaagen, author of Parenting the Millennial Generation.  Between the two of them, they have authored or co-authored nine books and have been featured in several national publications.


Dr. Pohlman and Dr. Verhaagen will cover such topics as:


* Individualized study strategies for college


* Effective time management skills


* Achieving work-fun balance


* Avoiding the common college pitfalls


* Connecting with your passions in selecting a major and a career


If you know a high school junior or senior or a current college student who wants to truly succeed in college, please let them know about this exciting workshop.


To register, please call Patsy at 704-552-0116 or go to the seminar's registration page.  

All the Brain News That's Fit to Print

by Craig Pohlman, Ph.D., Director of Mind Matters at Southeast Psych 

For anyone with an interest in education, learning, and building success for all students, I highly recommend the new book, The New Science of Teaching and Learning, by Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa. Tracey is a pioneer in the fledgling field of Mind, Brain, and Education Science. In 2008 she convened 26 learning experts to sort the facts from the myths about the brain and learning. Astonishingly, this esteemed group concluded that just a handful of ideas about the brain and learning are actually well-supported by research. The rest are “neuromyths.”

In her book Tracy describes the “facts,” including that human brains are as unique as faces in terms of organization and that brains are dynamic and constantly changed by experience. In other words, each morning we wake with a different brain than the one we had when we went to bed.

Some of the “neuromyths” include that water is brain food (just because the human body is composed of a large amount of water doesn’t mean that chugging agua boosts learning) and that right-brained learners are more creative (the whole right- vs. left-brained thing hasn’t fared so well in the research).

Not only does this book have great content, but it is also a great read. Tracey takes all of this important information and crafts a compelling argument about how we should use science to make better decisions about teaching and learning.

Tracey is a Professor of Education at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador where she directs the Brain, Mind and Educational Development Institute and the Evaluation and Academic Excellence Center. She is also polyglot who is rearing her children to speak multiple languages.

Bottom line- cool book by a cool author.

Craig Pohlman is the author of How Can My Kid Succeed in School? and Revealing Minds, and co-author of Schools for All Kinds of Minds.

Is Your Student Ready for College?

by Dave Verhaagen, Ph.D., ABPP

What are the chances your high school senior will make it through her freshman year of college?  Kostas Andrea Fanti found that only half of incoming college freshman earn a degree in five years and, of the remaining half, a full 37% drop out entirely.  Most of the studies find that about 1 out of 3 don't return to their school after their first year.  In other words, a lot of students are at risk for not making it through their freshman year.  By the way, this trend has been going on for decades.  In a study of nearly 58,000 students back in the early 1920's, the author found that 32% of college freshman don't make it past their first year.

So who is at risk for dropping out?  Here's a partial list of some of the patterns that put a student at greater risk:

* Students who have had to be externally motivated and excessively structured by parents and teachers.

* Students who manage their time very poorly, especially with school-related work.

* Students with ADHD who do not manage their condition well (i.e., forget their medicine, don't keep their materials organized, procrastinate, etc.).

* Students who are prone to depression or anxiety in a way that makes them isolate themselves from others, get easily overwhelmed, or turn to self-medicating.

* Students who use substances regularly and/or drink heavily, especially if their use has already caused them to get in trouble or underachieve academically.

For these students, it is often important to seek out professional support or consultation before they go off to school.  Once there, they will often need support services at their university that can be accessed through the counseling center, the learning support center, or the office for students with disabilities.  It's almost always better to be proactive and set up supports ahead of time.

Dave Verhaagen is a licensed psychologist who specializes in working with older high school and college students.

Helping Kids Wash Away Worries

by Mary B. Moore, LCSW

Everyone gets worried or nervous sometimes, both kids and adults. For some kids, worries happen out of the blue for no apparent reason. For others, nervous feelings occur at certain times like when taking a test, meeting a new person, trying something new or leaving their family. Worried feelings are normal and a little bit of worried feelings even can be helpful. If we were not worried about a test, we may not study. If we were not worried about getting sunburned, we would not wear sunscreen. A little bit of worry or nervousness can provide us the energy and focus to tackle a challenging task.

Helping your kids to accept their worry instead of fearing or avoiding it is an important first step in helping them to successfully manage and use the anxiety in a good way.

The Good News: you and your kids can do something to make them feel better and prevent the worries from getting overwhelming.

Help your kids to:

Step 1: Recognize and accept the feeling

· Have your child ask themselves: What is going on in my body? What feelings and thoughts am I having?

· Help your kids to not be afraid of the “butterflies” in their stomach or the sweaty palms. It is our body’s way of getting extra energy to pay attention and tackle the situation.

· Validate your child’s worries with a simple “You seem very worried,” or “Sometimes I get nervous too.” Do not minimize your child’s worry. This will only make it worse. 

Step 2: Figure iut what is causing the worry

· Help your child to figure out what exactly is bothering them. For example, your daughter may have morning meltdowns about going to school. When what really is bothering her is not understanding math. Getting help with math may help reduce the school anxiety. Another example, your son is anxious about going to a birthday party. Through questioning, you uncover he is not sure how to start and carry on a conversation. Understanding what the worries are helps find ways to solve the problem and feel better. 

Step 3: Think about ways to feel better

· Self-calming techniques – take 3 or 5 really deep breaths, count to 10 (or 20 or 50), drink some water or splash water on your face, engage in a pleasurable activity (drawing, listening to music, reading)

· Take action to solve steps of the problem: if your child is worried about an upcoming math test, help them to organize their time and studying. If worried about meeting new people, help him practice questions and conversation skills.

· Remind them of past experiences of success. 

Step 4: Ask for help

Let your child know you are there to listen and help. Identify others in their life they can talk to when they are anxious or worried: grandparent, teacher, coach, counselor and friends. The message:

· "Talking to someone you trust can make you feel better and less alone when you feel worried. In addition, the person may be able to help you solve the problem which is making you nervous."

Sometimes despite our best attempts to help kids wash away worries, their anxiety begins to interfere with their daily functioning at school, home or on the athletic field. If you feel your child has become overwhelmed with anxiety, a professional can provide the additional support, guidance and skills to help.

Mary B. Moore, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in helping kids and parents cope with and successfully manage anxiety.