Giving kids the social skills they need to succeed
I used to work with a teenager who had a long-term plan for dealing with his social skills challenges. When things were going well, he was able to make some good connections with the other members of his group. When things weren’t going well, he took it hard. One day, he and I were talking after he had gotten into […]
» Read moreI’ve been a professional counselor for more than 30 years and, for 17 of those years, I’ve also been a dad. During that time, I’ve become familiar with more than one cliché about dads and our purported attitudes about our kids. If you were to hear an unattributed quote along the lines of “There’s nothing wrong with my kid that […]
» Read moreFrom left: Coastie (Appalachian Trail Thru Hikers go by trail names. We didn’t learn Coastie’s real name until the very end of our hike. He is, incidentally, as fine a human as walks the earth,) my daughter Lucy, and me. Here, we’re up at the top of Mt, Greylock, near the end of our hike. by Bruce Sabian, M.A., LMHC Approaching […]
» Read moreMike 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 […]
» Read moreBen 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 […]
» Read moreA 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.
» Read moreNow 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 […]
» Read moreSince 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 […]
» Read moreby Jack DiMento The most meaningful way that I believe I’ve improved the lives of others is by working for an organization that drastically improved mine. In the summer of 2011, I began attending a camp in Natick, Creative Adventures, that was designed for children who needed help developing their self esteem and social skills. The author – shown here in July […]
» Read moreWhen the quarantine started back in March, I never thought “Oh good. Think of all the opportunities we’re going to have to improve our skill sets!” That never happened and I want to be clear about that. But, now with 4 months of this brave new world under our belts, many of us, by necessity, have found ourselves happy to […]
» Read moreI’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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