Summit Center Blog
Digital Breaks: 5 Things to Help Our Kids Disconnect – by Dr. Dan Peters
Last weekend we had an extended family dinner with many relatives. I was sitting on a cushion on the fireplace and looking at a large couch and an oversized chair stuffed with nine cousins ranging from ages 12 to 22. They were smiling, laughing, sitting on each other...
Parenting in Uncertain Times, by Dr. Dan Peters
Uncertainty. Worry. Fear. These are still the top themes in most of my counseling sessions as a psychologist — with adults, with teens, and even with children. Mainly, the discussions were about the presidential election, then it was about the winner of the election,...
5 Steps to Be an Aware Parent, by Dr. Dan Peters
Parenting is not about getting it “right” and there is no way to be a “perfect” parent. I say this as someone has spent a lot of time trying to do the “right” thing “perfectly”. Parenting humbles us and tests us in ways we couldn’t have imagined. There is no manual...
5 Steps To Managing Stress During the Holidays, by Dr. Dan Peters
Read this piece in Spanish Thanksgiving feels like weeks ago. Cities, stores, homes, schools, and entire towns are decorated for the holiday season. Lampposts and stop lights are dressed with red ribbons. Luxury cars sport antlers and Rudolph noses. And then there are...
How Are You Living Out The 3 P’s? Planning, Proactive, Prioritizing, By Deanna Kim, M.Ed.
Lights flickering. Pitch black room. A moment of silence. A flood of thoughts go through my brain like lightning as the hustle and bustle of the evening activities is interrupted. ‘How long will this blackout last?’ ‘Was there something important I was supposed to do...
How Anxiety Affects Your Child’s Self-Esteem, by Dr. Dan Peters
As parents, we want our children to go into the world of school, peers and friendships, and life feeling happy, confident and valued. We do our best to fortify their self-confidence within the home so that they are equipped to be strong and successful in the rest of...
When Overparenting Goes Too Far, by Dr. Dan Peters
I am sitting across two kind, caring, and hardworking parents who are concerned about their 16-year-old son's maturity, decision-making, effort in school, and most recently, his ability to pass his driver's test to get his license. Their strong-willed teenager refuses...
What’s Up With All the Dys’? And What You Can Do About It, by Dr. Dan Peters
There are many types of learning disorders that can affect our children. The good news is that learning differences and disabilities are getting more press and attention. However, it can get confusing when trying to understand what they mean and how they are similar...
Why All Parents Should Use The Teachings from the Jedi Master in 2016
It was 1980 in Century City. I was 10 years old waiting in a line that did not seem to end with my grandma (now 104). We waited for two hours to see the Empire Strikes Back. There was a buzz in the air that I couldn't explain but could feel. It was three years after...
Worry Reminders for the Holidays, By Dr. Dan Peters
It is normal for our children to experience more stress and worry during the holidays. Among the traditional stressors of everyday life come common seasonal anxieties such as worrying how the family will get along during get-togethers and meals, worrying about getting...
The Twice-Exceptional Adult, by Dr. Dan Peters
We often hear about 2e children, but what about 2e adults?
Outside the Box Learning for Outside the Box Thinkers, by Dr. Dan Peters
This piece originally appeared on Psychology Today. Summit Center can help you learn more about your child's learning strengths plus any potential issues, and can help you find an alternative learning environment if needed. I am sitting with a small group of students...
Developing Self Esteem in Gifted Teens, by Melanie Brown Kroon, LMFT
Melanie Brown Kroon, MA, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, provides therapy and consultations at Summit Center’s Encino office. Melanie works with individuals, couples and families specializing in the emotional needs of gifted and creative adults, adolescents...
Summer is a Great Time to Develop Your Superpower, by Dana Cope, M.Ed., Educational Consultant
For some children their strength or superpower is easy to see at school. For other children their superpower is hidden and reveals itself outside of the formal schooling experience. Summer is a wonderful time to identify, explore, and nurture strengths and passions....
Differentiated Educational Plans – Building on Student Strengths, One Child at a Time, by Dr. Susan Daniels
Do you hear from your child how bored they are in school? Do you feel your child is not being challenged appropriately? When a regular classroom curriculum is not meeting a gifted child's intellectual and academic needs, that child may need a Differentiated Education...
Eyes, Ears, and Learning – by Nancy Knop, Ph.D., ET/P
If you can’t see, or if you can’t hear, you will have trouble learning. As obvious as that seems, the fact is that problems with seeing and hearing are NOT obvious. Many children have seeing and hearing difficulty and we don’t know it. We aren't born with mature...
A Strength-Based Approach Helps Children, by Dr. Dan Peters
Learn to ask "What’s Right" instead of "What’s Wrong" When it comes to helping our children learn and develop academically, socially, and emotionally, we want them to feel confident about who they are. At Summit Center, we use a strengths-based approach for...
My Child Won’t Go to School: School Avoidance and What to Do, by Dr. Dan Peters
This piece originally appeared on Huffington Post. "I am not sure what has changed. Things were fine last year and now he wakes up with a stomachache and says he doesn't want to go to school. It takes me forever to get him out the door. We are often late. He ends up...
Just Like Flossing: 5 Ways to Improve Your Study Habits, by Deanna Kim, M.Ed.
Deanna Kim is an educational therapist at Summit Center Walnut Creek and at the Athenian School in Danville, where she coaches students in executive functioning to improve T.O.P. skills (Time Management, Organization, and Planning). If you would like more in-depth and...
Media and Technology: The Worry Monster’s Biggest Ally, by Dr. Dan Peters
Media and technology have changed our lives in many positive ways. Radio brought local and world news, and entertainment to our family rooms. Television brought these things to life, and in color. You no longer needed to go to a show or a movie theatre, as television...
Taming Normal Teen Anxiety, by Dr. Dan Peters
The teenage years increase fears and nerves for both parent and teens.
Living 2e Comes Full Circle at SENG Conference, by Dr. Dan Peters
Last month, I gave the opening keynote address on "2e 360: Lessons Learned From Working With 2e Youth, Raising 2e Kids, and Living 2e" at the annual SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of Gifted) Conference in the San Francisco Bay Area. In my profession, this annual...