Dr. Tali Shenfield holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Toronto and is a licensed school and clinical psychologist. She has taught at the University of Toronto and has worked at institutions including the Hospital for Sick Children, Hincks-Dellcrest Centre, TDSB, and YCDSB. Dr. Shenfield is the Founder and Clinical Director of Advanced Psychology Services.
In modern Western society, we typically view play as being separate from learning. However, while children’s games appear casual and spontaneous, they serve many crucial developmental functions. When kids engage in unstructured social activities, they use their imaginations to simulate diverse experiences, which serve as a model for real-life situations. They learn how to negotiate and cooperate with other ...
We all want our children to treat others with kindness, empathy, and compassion. Many of the rules and boundaries we set are designed to teach our kids what is (and isn’t) socially appropriate, and we constantly strive to inform our children about the ways their actions can affect others. However, the manner in which we discipline our children has ...
If your child is gifted, you probably already know that highly talented children have special needs in the classroom. What many parents don’t realize, however, is that gifted kids also require a modified approach to parenting. Ideally, the way you guide your child at home should complement and enhance the educational opportunities your child receives at school. The optimal ...
The essence of a thriving family dynamic lies in a healthy parent-child relationship. This bond shapes a child’s future relationships, self-esteem, behaviours, and abilities to cope with stress and adversity. According to the research studies, this is pivotal to not only a child’s cognitive skills but also their psychological and emotional wellbeing. The Foundation of Parent-Child Relationships When ...
On the surface, your teen’s life may look easy: After all, adolescents get to enjoy a lot of adult privileges, like independent socializing and driving, without having to cope with adult responsibilities. However, while it’s true that most teens don’t have to pay bills or care for dependents, they face numerous stressors that adults don’t have ...
One of the greatest challenges parents face when trying to cultivate a parenting style is adapting standard methods to suit the unique traits of their child. Though a consistent, balanced approach to parenting works most of the time, some children invariably require more (or less) discipline and guidance than others. Rules that are sensible when applied to a neurotypical child ...
We all want to protect our children from disappointment and ensure they have the best possible opportunities in life, but lawnmower parents take these natural desires to extremes. Unlike helicopter parents, who closely monitor their children’s lives and offer sometimes excessive support, lawnmower parents proactively intervene in their children’s affairs. They may take drastic measures to achieve success ...
Most children naturally want to excel at school; they want to please their parents and earn recognition from their teachers and peers. If your child isn’t completing his or her work on time, appears to be struggling with certain skills, or is losing interest in school altogether, it’s therefore prudent to consider the possibility of a learning disability. ...
For the parents of overweight children, every day is a balancing act; on one hand, there is the natural desire ...
With climate change becoming an increasingly common theme in politics, news, and even entertainment, it’s no wonder more young ...
Not every relationship works out. This is true whether the relationship in question is a friendship, romantic relationship, or the ...
