Tips for Parents of Teens Struggling with Anxiety during COVID-19: Tip of the Day
Jackie Bramble, LSW, Community Liaison with High Focus Centers in Cherry Hill, NJ, shares some helpful tips for parents whose teens are struggling with anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Quarantine and self-distancing may make adolescent anxiety symptoms worse. Here are several ways that parents can help their teens cope during these difficult and unprecedented times.
What Are The Benefits of Telepsychiatry?
Telepsychiatry, or teletherapy, allows patients to use telecommunication software and devices such as computers, tablets, or phones, to receive online mental health and substance abuse treatment. Telepsychiatry offers a number of benefits to both patients and their therapists, including increased accessibility to services, more comfort, and convenience, among others. We’ll detail some of the top benefits of telepsychiatry below. Telepsychiatry Provides Comfort To Patients For patients with extreme anxiety or who feel uncomfortable in a clinical or unfamiliar setting, telepsychiatry allows patients to meet with their therapist virtually from the comfort and safety of their home. Similarly, for patients who [...]
Staying Present in the Moment during Quarantine: Tip of the Day
Ashley Regina, Clinical Coordinator of Adolescent Services at High Focus Centers in Cherry Hill, NJ, shares some helpful tips for increasing mindfulness. While in quarantine, you may find yourself multi-tasking chores, television, work or social media. Learn ways to set small goals that will help you to focus on one thing at a time.
Creating a Self-Soothing Kit: Tip of the Day
Michael Fenimore, LPC, an adult psychiatric clinician at High Focus Centers in Freehold, New Jersey, discusses self-soothing as a coping skill during times of stress. Learn how to create a “self-soothing kit” for yourself that engages all five senses and can be a calming resource when you experience feelings of distress or vulnerable moments in your life.
Insights on Heuristics: How They Influence our Behavior during COVID-19
Dr. Kai-ping Wang, Chief Medical Officer of High Focus Centers, examines our diverse responses to the Covid-19 pandemic from a mental health perspective. These responses range from “panic” such as panic buying or hoarding to “party” such as complacency or ignoring social distancing guidelines. In uncertain times such as these, it’s important that we react and make decisions as rationally as possible. Having insight and self-awareness into why we react as we do can help us recognize our blind spots. Heuristics, or “shortcuts,” are used by our brain in order to be able to respond quickly to things in our [...]
Focus On: Quarantine and Regression in Children
Dr. Navjot Khinda, Psychiatric Director of High Focus Centers in Paramus, New Jersey, discusses the effects that quarantine can have on children’s behavior. A child – of any age – may be experiencing regression if you notice sudden changes in their behavior. Temper tantrums, defiance, or avoiding responsibility are all signs that a child could be struggling with stress or anxiety. Children are very sensitive to changes in their environment. Especially now, as we are practicing social distancing and quarantine, children’s schedules have been significantly disrupted. This can lead to increased feelings of helplessness and anxiety. Learn how to reduce [...]
How Does Teletherapy Work?
As our new normal continues to evolve, technology has made communicating and staying in touch with friends and family easier than ever. Through FaceTime and video conferencing, we can reach out to friends across the country or conference remotely with coworkers. This same technology and need to adapt have also had an effect on medicine, including psychiatry. You may have heard about “teletherapy” and are wondering what exactly it means, how it works, and what it looks like. We’ll explain what teletherapy is, what its benefits are, and answer questions you may have about this growing practice. What is Teletherapy? [...]
Creating Daily Structure during Quarantine: Tip of the Day
Dr. Navjot Khinda, Psychiatric Director of High Focus Centers in Paramus, New Jersey, discusses the importance of maintaining daily structure for yourself and your family during this time of quarantine and social-distancing. Healthy habits related to sleep, diet, and physical activity all have a positive effect on self-confidence and mental health.
Managing Mental and Physical Health During COVID-19
Global pandemics are rare, unprecedented events. This is an incredibly stressful time for Americans. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are experiencing symptoms of anxiety, panic, and distress. While we all handle stress and anxiety differently, there are some vulnerable populations who are prone to experiencing an even stronger reaction to stress. This includes children and teens, healthcare professionals, and those with preexisting mental health conditions or substance use disorders. The Effects of Stress During A Pandemic Stress can be a useful tool in helping people face uncertain situations. But stress can become overwhelming and unhelpful if one obsessively engages [...]
Tips to Prepare for a Telehealth Therapy Session
With the COVID-19 pandemic leading to business closures across the country, the mental health treatment industry has had to quickly adapt to continue providing clients with much-needed counseling and care. One way that the industry has responded is by offering “telehealth” therapy sessions. Teletherapy at High Focus Centers Telehealth utilizes HIPAA-secure video conferencing platforms to allow therapists and their clients to connect without having to meet in person. Telehealth mental health treatment has become instrumental in providing continuity of care during the coronavirus pandemic, and there are some useful things to keep in mind that will make your experience a [...]
COVID-19: Maintaining Mental Health During Social Distancing
There are a number of precautions that are recommended by the CDC to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): frequent hand washing, sanitizing surfaces, and distancing yourself from other people, especially if there are cases of the virus in your community. While social distancing is crucial in preventing the spread of the virus, disruption of daily routines and increased social isolation can affect our own mental health as well as the mental health of our friends and family. With many individuals already experiencing anxiety about COVID-19, it’s important to do what you can to help care for the [...]
