Nail Biting
Dear Susan, I am a ten-year-old girl who bites my nails. I want to stop because I want to wear nail polish. My best friend stopped and her nails look really nice. My mother bought me some terrible tasting nail polish, but it didn’t work at all! What can I do? (By the way, I […]
Bad Words From The Three-Year-Old
Dear Susan, Our 3 year old boy just recently started saying the word “poo” quite frequently, and then laughs his head off about it. On the one hand, it seems like a phase and he can be amusing, but on the other hand, some family members have said it seems troublesome. Is his behavior normal? […]
Boundaries & Compromise
My husband of eight years and I are going to visit my parents, a five hour drive away, for a long weekend, leaving on Thursday evening and returning on Sunday evening. Mark doesn’t really like going because all we do is hang out with my parents. He likes to do more fun stuff. His friend […]
What Are Anxiety And Depression?
Depression and anxiety can impact individuals of any age. People with depression frequently also suffer from anxiety as they tend to go hand in hand. The causes of depression and anxiety appear to be very complex. While there may be a biochemical cause, meaning that certain chemicals—neurotransmitters—in the brain may be low, it is not […]
Fixing Fighting
My husband and I have been married for five years. When we used to fight, I at least felt like we were learning something about each other. Lately, I just feel drained and our fights just hurt. How come some couples seem to never fight and others fight all the time and how can we […]
Narcissism
Hello Susan, My husband is an alcoholic and I also suspect that he is a Narcissist because I can check off ‘yes’ to many of the traits described related to my husband. But I want to know how a person would become a narcissist, is it genetic or a learned behaviour? What makes a person […]
Four-Year-Old Anger Issues
Dear Susan, My four-year-old daughter can be really mean to other children. When she plays with other kids and things don’t go her way, like if she loses a game, or they have to leave before she wants them to, she sometimes has a tantrum and has even hit and bitten other kids. Should I […]
Losing The Spark
I love my husband; we have shared 22 years and have raised two children together. He is a great man, we do a lot of things together, we have never fought, or had any troubles, but lately he just doesn’t make me feel ‘special’ anymore. I am wondering if we need counseling? Kate, London […]
Overscheduling Children
Dear Susan, My eleven-year-old son has always been very active. He plays soccer, takes violin lessons, and karate, swims and goes to Scouts. But lately he seems to be tired and cranky and is resisting all his previous activities. He says he just wants to hang around with his friends. We are an active family […]
The Christmas Blues
Dear Susan, I have been separated from my wife for over 8 months. It has been really hard but I thought I was adjusting to being single again, because I was dating and starting to feel happier living alone…but with Christmas looming, I have started to feel increasingly lonely and depressed. Is this normal? Dan, […]