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.
Though positive feelings play a big role in how we learn—providing a sense of reward and satisfaction—the importance of negative emotions shouldn’t be overlooked. Uncomfortable feelings often teach children essential lessons, and learning to manage these emotions early on can create the foundation for lifelong stability and success. Processing and contextualizing negative emotions helps kids become more ...
Child anger issues in ADHD can be very challenging for parents. Children with ADHD often struggle with emotional dysregulation, leading to frequent and intense anger outbursts or "rage attacks." Understanding the root causes of ADHD and anger in children is essential for parents learning how to deal with an angry ADHD child. The impulsivity and poor emotional control associated with ...
Most parents know that imaginary friends aren’t usually a cause for concern. These figments of a child’s imagination are a normal part of development, generally occurring between the ages of 2-6. Your child’s imaginary friend may remain a part of his life for just a few months or several years, but he (or she) will fade away ...
Many parents are reluctant to set limits because they don’t want to upset their children or incite power struggles. However, not establishing clear boundaries is proven to create emotional difficulties for children and make them more challenging to parent. Kids need limits to help them learn how to self-regulate. Without rules, they have no framework for coping with intense ...
There are multiple reasons why a child may be quieter than his (or her) peers. Due to natural variations in personality, some kids need a bit of extra time to warm up to new people and situations – a trait known as shyness. For others, social settings are a source of chronic and severe anxiety, to the point where the child ...
Like adults, kids often feel overwhelmed by the many commitments, choices, and interpersonal situations they must manage each day. Research suggests that school-aged children also experience significant anxiety resulting from global crises, such as the pandemic and climate change. Unfortunately, kids have far fewer tools for dealing with chronic stress than adults. Likewise, their still-developing brains are highly susceptible to ...
Does your child obsessively pick or pull at her skin or hair, sometimes to the point of injury? As distressing as this behaviour is to witness, it isn’t uncommon, especially in kids with ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and other conditions that affect sensory processing. In fact, researchers estimate that approximately three to five percent of the population will experience ...
Handling sadness, whether it’s normal situational sadness or chronic depression, is especially challenging for teens. Adolescents are mature enough to experience profound and complex emotions, but they struggle to put their experiences into perspective. The areas of the brain associated with reasoning are still actively developing throughout the teen years, so young adults are prone to handling sadness in ...
Anxiety disorders are found in children much more often than many people realize; ten to twenty percent of all children ...
Autism has been in the spotlight for many years. In movies, television, and novels, autistic characters are portrayed to have ...
Having a sense of fairness is a great virtue and a sign that your child has a strong moral compass. ...
