Sadaf Siddiqi 

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” Plato, the philosopher, said this around 400 B.C. The concept of playing to learn has been around for centuries. However, only in the past couple of decades has play become a powerful and regular form of child therapy.

On the last day of my graduate internship this past spring, my supervisor gave me a copy of Mary Pipher’s book, “Letters to a Young Therapist.” Dr. Pipher shares the insight she has gained from thirty years of experience as a therapist, working with a clientele ranging from adolescents to intricate families. Her witty words seem to have a storybook effect on the reader, which makes it hard to put the book down.

As a new counselor, I sometimes struggle with balancing the fine line between my personal and professional life. For one, it can be tempting to take home a therapy session – but I’m not talking about paperwork here (come on, who wants to take that home?).

The first week of December is generally filled with mixed emotions for many people. For one, Thanksgiving has just passed and a statement I hear all too often is, “I’m still recovering from my food coma!” Since the other holidays are also right around the corner, many talk shows, blogs, and magazines start popping up titles such as, “Holiday Stress Busters.” There’s no doubting that stressful situations will appear in abundant quantities around this time

Of the 365 days in a year, it is always during one particular week that I am reminded to be extra appreciative – the week of Thanksgiving. From grabbing my morning cup of tea or picking up groceries at the end of the day, the simplicities that I typically take for granted stand out around this time