A Tribute to The Academy’s “Founding Father” – by Stew Pruslin, M.Ed

Mike Burg – circa 2010 I want to take a moment of your time here to pass along the news that a gentleman by the name of Sumner “Mike” Burg passed away on Thursday of last week at the age of 98. The odds are almost 100% that you have no idea who he was. You certainly never met him […]

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It’s Not Supposed to Happen This Way

Ben KesselFor the past couple of years, I’ve been facilitating a monthly father’s support group for the Asperger Autism Network or AANE. The group is one of the high points of every month for me. Not only does the group put the lie to a fairly common view of dads as clueless troglodytes, at least as it pertains to their […]

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One Year Later, A Message of Gratitude

A year into the pandemic, I’m happy to report that we’re not going away anytime soon. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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Preventing Social Atrophy

Now that we’re well into our 9th month of the pandemic, I’ve been noticing a growing phenomenon among many of the kids I know. I’ve seen an emerging reluctance among children to reach out to their friends and an even greater reluctance to reach out to make new connections. Particularly as the weather gets colder and COVID numbers keep going […]

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Preparing to Go Back Inside

Since July, Academy MetroWest has been running outdoor, in-person groups at St. Benedict Classical Academy. Having access to their athletic field has enabled us to stay in business and provide the services we’ve always been known for. We are very grateful to the staff at St. Benedict’s for being such welcoming and accommodating hosts. As we get closer to November, we’re […]

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COVID-19 and the Termination Blues

I’ve been working with kids for a long time. When I started running group therapy sessions, Ronald Reagan was winding down his second term. I was a 25 year-old graduate student, living with roommates in a crummy apartment. A few weeks ago, I turned 57. I live with my wife and teenage daughter in a house in the suburbs. Almost […]

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The Kids are (Mostly) Alright (I Think)

My career as a fortune-teller is doomed. When the COVID-19 quarantine was just getting started, I figured that kids with neurodevelopmental issues like Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD were going to have an especially difficult time of it. Gone was the routine, structure, and predictability that these kids rely on to guide them through the day. Taking their place would […]

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The Therapist and the Tuna: Thoughts on Empathy and Limit Setting

Of the many reasons that people cite for getting into the field of counseling, it is rare, if not unheard of, to hear people say “I want to go into the field of counseling because I’ve always wanted to be a strong authority figure.” But at Academy MetroWest, that’s one of the primary goals we have when we begin training […]

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Connecting Through Consoles

by Hope Notaro, M.A., LMHC & Tim Couto, M.A. A common difficulty among the kids we work with is starting and maintaining conversations.  Most of our clients are boys and we know that male social interactions tend more toward doing things together rather than chatting.  When you consider that on top of this, the kids who come to us tend […]

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A Fitting Honor for a Mentor and Pioneer

A couple of weeks ago, I received a newsletter from The Asperger Autism Network (AANE). AANE’s newsletter is excellent and I make a point of reading it as often as I can. In this installment, one article in particular caught my eye. AANE is embarking on a fundraising drive to update and expand their training center and they’re going to […]

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