Posts by David Barnhart
Writing Can Help Make Us More Emotionally Intelligent
Keeping a stress log can help reduce stress. Our ability to process complex situations and all of the variables that can affect us is limited by working memory. We can only retain about 4-7 chunks of information for short periods of time. If we briefly write about our stress triggers and the feelings and thoughts…
Read MoreIs Your Teen Always Tired?
Sleep deprivation shows up across a variety of diagnostic categories. Approximately 30% of adolescents between 13 and 25 suffer from a sleep disorder. When I ask teens how they’re feeling, they will frequently answer, “Tired.” One of the first questions I ask in a diagnostic interview is, “Do you feel rested when you wake up?”…
Read MoreAre You and Your Children Over-Scheduled?
While having my hair cut, my barber talked with me about over-scheduled children. He wondered how parents kept up with all of the activities. Parents wonder the same thing. In my office, parents question whether they should be taking kids to soccer practice, music lessons, robotics, church, and Sunday school. If their child is serious…
Read MoreResetting Sleep- Best Practices for a Good Night’s sleep
Sleep is fundamental to good mental and physical health. Sleep is the first item on our symptom checklist when you come to our office to complete paperwork. Sleep deprivation affects working memory and attention and makes it difficult to manage stress, anxiety, and depression. When we are trying to reset a sleep schedule, the first…
Read MoreConversations In Counseling: What’d I Say?
“WHAT’D I SAY?” When a former counseling client says, “I’ll never forget what you said. It’s always stuck with me,” I hold my breath praying, “please God, let it be something I wouldn’t regret saying or at least let it be helpful.” The conversations between counselor and client make up an essential piece of the…
Read MoreIntensive Outpatient Treatment for OCD by Telehealth: Is it as effective as in-person therapy?
Research throughout the COVID pandemic suggested OCD symptoms were stable or improved for about two-thirds of individuals, with one-third experiencing worsening symptoms. A recent publication in the Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders reported on the efficacy of intensive CBT telehealth for OCD during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two matched samples with 239 pre-COVID in-person (IP)…
Read MoreStarting Over (And Over)
Blog Post from Rev. Dr. Dave Barnhart, Jr.https://davebarnhart.wordpress.com/2021/01/12/spirituality-and-mental-health-starting-over-and-over/ The late leaves hanging on the plum tree, by cogdogblog, from Wikimedia Commons I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.(Isaiah 43:19) One thing most spiritual traditions…
Read MoreImproving attention for kids: Shaping attention in virtual school
The following program utilizes a response cost strategy conducted between the parent and the child in an unobtrusive manner. This program has been used effectively by regular classroom teachers with students who have high rates of off-task behavior. This program can be used by parents at home for homeschooling or homework after school. The program…
Read MoreFind a Patch of Pavement. Ride or Walk.
When I see a new client in our clinic, I will always ask about exercise. A core part of mental and physical health optimization and recovery, exercise produces chemistry in our brains and bodies that will change our brain state (Barnhart, Bakke, Miller, et al, 2020). Our approach to behavior change has a basis in…
Read MoreADHD and Learning Assessments
Are you interested in testing for ADHD or other learning disabilities? Do you, your child, or your adolescent need to seek accommodations for school or work? Now is a perfect time! Behavioral Sciences of Alabama provides psychoeducational/diagnostic testing. To get started, make a clinical interview appointment to discuss symptoms and complete initial screenings. We will…
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