Kellie Cathey, Play Therapist

Helping your child process their anger is best when it comes from a felt sense of neutrality and love. But if there are banished parts of you that feel unloved in your anger, you will naturally feel tense as you child expresses theirs. As a parent, your job is to be present with what comes up for you when your child is angry. Do you feel it physically? Do you fists clench or become tight? Does your body freeze up and immobilized? Do you react quickly and want to squash their anger, just as you had to do to your own? What happens for you in this space? What feels hardest for you about your child's expression of anger? How do you respond? As you eventually become more aware and in tune with your own reactions, you are able to be more present and neutral to your child's.

"Each one of us is a paint stroke on the canvas of the earth we create. Every single one of us deserves to be seen for the beauty we contribute to it." https://www.kelliecatheyplay.com//white-parents-why-it-s-i

"The mental health crisis in America is really a children's mental health crisis." Needing help right now is not weak. We are all struggling, especially those with young children. This video is so important

Very informative article about the importance of play for children, espcially now. Fort building has been a consistnet thing in my sessions since mid-March

Looking for some comforting words to use as we extend more time in quarentine? These might help! Head over to my instagram account: @mindfulchildtherapy for more tips about how to help our little humans through the pandemic. Sending love!

Beautiful, gentle article about how to answer some pressing questions from our little humans of the world Shares originally by Abington Pediatric Associates

Do you have a sweet, sensitive child who has really BIG feelings and has a hard time figuring out how to manage them? Maybe even more now, your child is facing challenges of big anger or worries that they are struggling to process. It's so hard for children to process their feelings without given the tools to do so. In Mindfully Me online workshop your child learns the basic mindfulness skills they need to feel grounded, regulated and calm. In this workshop, your child will ...learn: How to use breathing to feel calm How to idenfity and communicate feelings How to regulate and process frustration How to use movement to heal our body How to open our heart to feel better Interested in learning more? We'd love to see your child there! Learn more about it at the link below! https://www.kelliecatheyplay.com/online-workshops

My work with families has drastically changed in the last five weeks. We have moved from a space of "how do we learn and grow as parents?" to "how do we survive day to day?" Now is the time to give yourself as much grace as possible as a parent. Allowing more tablet time, becoming more frusterated easily and not having the energy to break up sibling fights--these are all perfectly normal things to be expericing right now. In the long run, lowering your perfectionism bar,... giving yourself grace and leaning into self compassion is what is actually what is going to make your child feel MORE secure. Take a look at this post to see how https://www.kelliecatheyplay.com//why-it-s-important-to-lo

Hi all! Sending out a friendly mental health public service anncounment. If you or anyone you know is on the front lines of fighting our pandemic, please share this resource. It was specifically created for those who are being impacted by our pandemic most directly (docs, nurses, police officers, medics, fire fighters, grocery store employees). I've just signed up to help support the children of parents on the front lines and feel so grounded and greateful knowing this exis...ts. And anyone on the front line who is reading this, we (as therapists and a nation) are here for you. We are here to help you hold it all. Sending you all lots of love and strength https://www.coronavirusonlinetherapy.com/

Keeping your own parenting (and person) bucket full is always one of the most important things your child needs from you. Take a moment to cry and release, set boundaries where they are needed most, keep things as simple as possible. You are figuring out what YOU need each day and the more you show up for yourself and honor those needs, the more you can show up for your child's. #mindfulchildtherapy

As things continue to change rapidly as a result of our pandemic, children can feel overwhelmed by all of the changes and unknowns to come. What your anxious child needs most from you during these challenging times with a lot of change is: your presence. The rapid changes happening can often leave children with a more anxious temperament feeling unsure and scared of what's to come next. Even in moments of our own overwhelm, slowing down and giving our child our full presen...ce to understand their emotional experience can make a drastic difference. Check out my blog for four *simple* ways to do this! https://www.kelliecatheyplay.com//Four-Simple-Ways-to-Help

There is no doubt the COVID-19 pandemic is taking a toll on the collective world's mental health. We're all isolating in confined spaces well also balancing multiple different roles and struggles with so many worries about job stability or any stability in general. For children, these worries might look different and manifest in different ways. Especially for children who are the more prone to anxiety or who have a more sensitive temperament, these signs and symptoms may be ...more apparent for your child. If you're noticing any of these signs, my practice is offering free consults and reduced fee teleplay therapy services during our pandemic. If you have questions or concerns please feel free to contact me directly and together, we can figure out what your child and family need. www.kelliecatheyplay.com We are in this with one another.

We are living in strange times, with a great deal of fear and uncertainty but also unexpected gifts, such as extra family time and unseasonably nice weather. We... at Abington Peds plan to do our part to keep your family healthy and safe, now and always. We have new hours starting next week: -We will continue to offer well visits for newborns through 18 month olds, as well as 4 year olds and 11 year olds; all other well visits will be postponed. -The Abington office will see well visits during the morning session (9am - 12pm) and sick visits during the afternoon session (1:30pm - 5pm). -The Jamison office will be open from 9am to 1pm for well visits only. -We will continue to see sick patients from 9am to 12pm on Saturdays and offer emergency appointments at 9am on Sundays. -We are also offering telemedicine visits, when appropriate. Please call the office and speak with our wonderful, knowledgeable phone nurses. They will provide you with helpful advice, as well as offer a telemedicine appointment or schedule an office visit, if necessary. As always, our incredible phone nurses are available to answer your questions and triage medical concerns throughout the day and you can reach the physician on-call when the office is not open. Stay home, practice social distancing (while still connecting with family and friends) and don't forget to wash your hands.