Child Psychology Resources

- by Dr. Tali Shenfield

How to Break The Link Between Perfectionism and Anxiety

Dr. Tali Shenfield

It's natural for parents to desire that their children be driven to achieve; given how obsessed our culture has become with rigorous testing and tough competition for college admissions, this capacity for high levels of self-motivation may seem essential to a child's long-term success. What many fail to realize, however, is that when a driven attitude is allowed to progress ...

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Asynchronous Development: an Alternative View of Giftedness

Dr. Tali Shenfield

Most human beings have a tendency to assess things from the outside in, using measurable external factors such as performance and achievement to ascertain how intelligent (or “gifted”) a person is. Indeed, the standardized psychological tests used to detect giftedness entirely overlook the behavioural and emotional aspects of giftedness. This sets up a damaging precedent, one that leads to gifted ...

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What to do when your boy wants to wear pink sneakers?

Dr. Tali Shenfield

For the past few months, I am asked almost daily about the new sex education curriculum introduced by Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and how it is going to affect sexual orientation and gender identity in young children. There is not much research on this topic, most relevant is a six year study of 12000 adolescents conducted by Dr. Ross O'Hara from ...

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A Primer on Child and Adolescent Anxiety

Dr. Tali Shenfield

Anxiety disorders are found in children much more often than many people realize; ten to twenty percent of all children will suffer the symptoms of a full-fledged anxiety disorder prior to the age of 18, making this the most common mental health issue in young people. It's often overlooked, however, as it's difficult for parents to ascertain the difference between the ...

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Popular Articles

Hypersensitivity: Helping your Sensitive Child

The human brain processes all sensory information whether or not you are fully aware of it. Most children are able ...

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What are the Telltale Signs that You Need to Change Therapists?

Not every relationship works out. This is true whether the relationship in question is a friendship, romantic relationship, or the ...

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Understanding Emotional Complexity of a Gifted Child

Too often, the emotional side of giftedness is overlooked; for all that we laud the intellectual complexity of giftedness, seldom ...

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Teenage Suicide: Warning Signs and Prevention

Dr. Tali Shenfield

There can be few things more devastating to a family than a suicide of a child. Not just one person is lost but the whole family loses something that it can never get back. Most suicides, however, could have been prevented. This is why it is so vital for families to learn to identify the signals of potential suicide to ...

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Seven Surprisingly Effective Rules for Children

Dr. Tali Shenfield

It's natural for parents to get somewhat desperate when faced with a stubborn child, and to escalate the severity of rules and punishments in the hope of provoking obedience, but as most parents know, this approach is hit-and-miss at best. It's ultimately more effective to have a ready supply of clear, enforceable rules memorized beforehand, so that one can apply ...

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Awakening Your Child’s Full Potential

Dr. Tali Shenfield

We want our children to be successful. And we want them to be happy. That goes without saying. But what exactly does that mean? For most parents that means doing well academically at a great school. It can also mean following in a parent’s successful career. Doctors want their children to become doctors. Restaurant owners assume their children will ...

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Is Your Child a Gaming Addict?

Dr. Tali Shenfield

From fun to addiction. How to deal with your child's obsession with gaming? Imagine the horror – You are looking across the breakfast table at your 12 year-old and you suddenly realize beyond a doubt that you are staring into the bleary eyes of an addict.  Questions flood your mind. How could this have happened? Why didn’t I notice it before? ...

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