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Children, adolescents, and adults can greatly benefit from therapy. Therapy can help a person to discover underlying factors that cause them to feel or behave in a specific way. Therapy can also help a person to change negative thoughts, feelings, and behavior for positive ones. Child therapy can help a young person who is dealing with divorce, a new sibling, a move, anxiety, anger, fear, self-esteem, eating disorders, or other life changes or concerns. Dr. Lisa Saponaro, PhD is a licensed Plantation child psychologist that provides individual and group therapy for children and adolescents. She provides a nurturing and therapeutic environment that provides a comfortable and safe place to discuss thoughts and feelings for positive change and improved mental health. Plantation Child Psychologist Plantation child psychologist, Dr. Saponaro has over ten years of experience helping youth and their families discover causes of conflict and make appropriate personal changes for improved mental health. Children experience academic stress, peer pressure, family stress, and life experiences that can leave them feeling overwhelmed. This sense of feeling overwhelmed can lead to behavioral changes such as sadness, tearfulness, aggression, anger, outbursts, and other outward behavior. Dr. Saponaro helps children to communicate their thoughts and feelings in a way that uncovers the causes of negative behavior, in order to find the most appropriate method for treatment for personal growth and strength building. She serves clients in and around Davie, Plantation, and Weston, Florida (Broward County). Plantation Children Group Therapy Dr. Lisa Saponaro provides a Plantation children's group therapy session known as Social Skills Group. This Plantation child therapy session enables children to come together for age appropriate discussions that help them improve their self-esteem, communication skills, build positive friendships, team work, problem solving, and character development. It can be a break through for a child to learn that others their age experience similar thoughts and feelings. Dr. Saponaro is a Plantation child psychologist listed on Psychology Today.com. She is available for Plantation child therapy Sessions by appointment. To schedule a children's therapy session in Plantation, call (954) 590-0501.
As October comes around, many things come to mind…pumpkins, ghouls, goblins…and bullying. As some of you may know, in addition to being the resident month of Halloween, October is also National Bullying Prevention Month. In support and celebration of National Bullying Prevention Month we would like to share some helpful information, resources and tips for parents and children about bullying and cyberbullying. What is bullying? The US Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) defines bullying as unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. In recent years, this definition has grown to include a disturbing set of behaviors known as cyberbullying. The USDHHS defines cyberbullying as bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites. Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles. The Center for Disease Control estimates that in 2011, 16% of high school students experienced a form of cyberbullying – and indeed this is a growing problem. Bullying and cyberbullying have been found to be strongly related to several negative effects in youth including but not limited to low self-esteem, feeling of worthlessness, sadness and depression, unwillingness to attend school or class and even poor physical health. Even more frightening and disturbing is the increasing number of so called bullycide. Bullycide has been coined as a term for growing number of children and adolescents who commit suicide in response to feelings of desperation and hopelessness triggered by bullying or cyberbullying. There were two reported instances of bullycide in the US in the last 5 weeks! What can we do? As fast as technology was grown, we as parents, educators and caretakers must race to protect our children from this growing threat. First and foremost, creating and instilling healthy conflict resolution skills and resilience in the face of bullying for your children is key. If your child is able to identify bullying behavior and label this as more about the bully then themselves, they may be in a better position to avoid the harmful effects of bullying. Filters and monitoring programs can be installed on home computers, tablets and smart phones to not only protect our children from sexual predators and illicit content, but can also facilitate appropriate monitoring to ensure your child is not the victim of cyberbullying. Thankfully, in the war against bullying, the law is on our side! Florida state law identifies bullying and cyberbullying as a crime punishable by law! Parents are encouraged to file a police report any and every time their child experiences bullying or cyberbullying. Please remember – nothing is ever truly anonymous on the internet, and once it is out there, it is there permanently (even if you delete it or take it down) What is NOT bullying? As we already covered, both bullying and cyberbullying is an aggressive behavior that is repeated and involves a power imbalance. While certainly hurtful, inappropriate and deserving of a parent or teacher’s attention, one time incidents of teasing and physical aggression does NOT constitute bullying. Children need to be able to have and solve their differences, and this may mean at times discovering how to deal with frustrations and anger with each other in appropriate ways. Additionally, children need to develop the ability to tolerate and become resilient to the negative or insensitive messages they are likely to encounter in adulthood. Bullying need not be a part of this important and healthy development. In conclusion – bullying and cyberbullying is a very real and frightening threat facing all of our children, but we are not defenseless. Careful monitoring and skill building can go a long way towards protecting our children inside and out from the harmful effects of bullying.
The transition from childhood to adulthood is a time that can create a stir of emotions and conflict within a family. Sometimes those who know us the best can hurt us the most. This change puberty/adolescence) can cause families to find themselves on the battlefield of conflict every day. Troubled teens experiencing depression and bewildered parents both find themselves lost and hurting and in dire need of help. Adolescent therapy can help both parents and teens during this part of life. Teenagers are experiencing peer pressure, self-esteem issues, sexuality, bodily changes, and feelings of emotion that they do not understand at times. Parents feel their teens pushing away, growing up too fast or feel a drift and loss of connection. When families lose their way and find that they are dealing with connection barriers adolescent therapy can help. Adolescent therapy can be offered in-group sessions where the family members or other adolescents meet together face to face with the therapist and discuss the issues and concerns at hand or through individual sessions that are one on one private discussions between a single person and the therapist. Either method of adolescent therapy can be beneficial. Clients are able to freely discuss their thoughts, feelings and concerns in a safe and comfortable atmosphere. Finding the right therapy session is both a matter of personal preference, comfort and support of the therapist that provides counseling theories and techniques that lead to personal growth and wellness. After assessment the therapist may recommend one session technique over another if they see that the benefits of one theory outweigh another. Adolescent therapy is simply a tool that enables adolescents to nurture their relationships with friends and family, change negative behaviors and work towards the development of self-understanding and personal growth. Family conflict can be resolved through adolescent therapy as well as family counseling. This can be in the form of an intervention for a teen who has a substance abuse problem, support for a loved one who has experienced trauma (Rape, Divorce, Death, etc.). Each client brings his or her own interpersonal conflict, values, ethics and opinions to adolescent therapy. It is the support that is shared through the therapist that can rebuild relationships and reach set goals for health and happiness. Dr. Lisa Saponaro of Plantation Florida offers group therapy and specializes in individual, couples and family therapy. She offers a variety of tools to help clients reach balanced living and experience personal growth.
Approximately one out of every two marriages today ends in divorce and a large portion of these families include children. Divorce can be traumatic to children creating intense emotions that cause conflicted feelings towards each of the parents. Children can feel fearful, confused, insecure, vulnerable, depressed, angry and overwhelmed. Children may act out by getting into more trouble, disrespecting others, displaying disobedience, and becoming angry. They may also act inwardly by developing excessive anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and isolation. Children do best when parents can cooperate on behalf of the child and do not display aggression towards each other or use negative language towards the other parent in front of the children. Children are usually better off if they can have regular contact with both parents in addition to having as stable a home environment as possible. Counseling can help both the divorcing parents and the children within the family to cope with the changing dynamics. By seeking the help of a professional child therapist who specializes in divorce, children can learn to cope with divorce, allowing them to express their own feelings about this event. Divorce therapy for children provides the support children need in order to express their emotions in safe, non-abusive, non self-destructive manner. Children usually need to be taught how to cope and how to express emotions in a safe way. Dr. Lisa Saponaro specializes in Family Mediation, with more than a decade of experience working with children and families, she is able to facilitate all steps of a marital dissolution, particularly the factors related to co-parenting. The focus and commitment should remain on the children providing the common ground necessary in order to create a successful parenting plan. Effective October 1, 2008, Florida statutes require that all parties filing for divorce complete a parenting plan. According to the statutes (Ch. 2008-61 section 13), “Parenting plan means a document created to govern the relationship between the parties relating to the decisions that must be made regarding the minor child and shall contain a time-sharing schedule for the parents and child. By no means is divorce easy on any of the family members who are involved but divorce counseling can make coping easier and enable children to release the mass of emotions felt during divorce for health and well being. Dr. Saponaro involves children’s relevant support systems into treatment and works with parents to find the common ground necessary to parent effectively. Dr. Saponaro’s strength is ability to help identify and prioritize the needs of the children while still respecting the process of the adults involved.
Adolescence is a time when a young person begins to transition from childhood to adulthood. They experience behavioral, biological, social and psychological changes during “puberty.” The body creates a surge of hormone production creating physical changes and emotional changes that can lead to conflict. Group Therapy for adolescents can offer face-to-face interaction with other adolescents who talk with a therapist about issues or troubles. Group therapy offers instant feedback, with each person in the group expressing their own feelings, providing open social interaction. Within group therapy, any thoughts or feelings expressed/discussed are not mentioned outside of group sessions. This is part of the establishment of trust built through talking about personal thoughts, through honesty and commitment to the treatment. Group therapy requires active participation and commitment. Clients can give and get immediate feed back about concerns, or issues that affect one’s life. Each client works through personal issues in a supportive, confidential atmosphere while also helping others. Difficult situations or occurrences can be recreated in order to give support and offer alternatives or even provide gentle confrontation. Clients learn how to resolve conflicts with alternative behaviors, new social techniques or methods to better relate to people. Through discussion adolescents learn that they are not alone and that multiple people experience or feel similar. Group therapy is based on trust. It is the building of trust through conversation that allows people to open up their minds in order to work through personal conflict and reach resolution for personal growth and improved mental health. Group therapy can consist of strangers meeting for the first time in-group sessions or as a family group. This can allow for family members to discuss and learn communication skills without feeling shy, embarrassed or threatened. The therapist acts as a neutral mediator to help family members learn and listen to one another for conflict resolution. Group therapy enables people to trust one another and to feel free to care about others and help each other in a safe environment. Dr. Lisa Saponaro offers Group therapy sessions in South Florida, Broward County and Plantation. Dr. Saponaro understands that through discussion emotional wounds can be healed, confidence can be built and mental health can be improved. Understanding our strengths and weaknesses is the first step toward making meaningful changes. Take a free screening below to identify your areas of growth. Listening Skills Test Interpersonal Communication Skills Test Social Skills Test Assertiveness Test Social Anxiety Test
Divorce can be a very stressful event and can cause a lot of emotional confusion. Family, group or individual therapy can help a child cope with the stress of parental separation and work through the multiple feelings that they themselves experience as a child of divorcing parents. Through communication with a therapist children are given hope and guidance through this difficult time. Children can come to understand that their parents divorce is not by any means their fault and that they are still loved and cared for by both of their parents. Children who have divorced parents and have participated in therapy have a decreased chance of experiencing their own relationship issues. When a marriage ends and divorce is chosen divorce counseling is available to help couples work towards a peaceful and respectful separation. When children are involved, their needs are the main focus. Florida statutes require that all parties filing for divorce complete a parenting plan. A parenting plan is a document created to govern the relationship between the parents relating to the decisions that must be made regarding the children in the relationship. A child’s education, health care, physical, social, and emotional well-being are to be considered and cared for by both parents through shared time schedules. The parenting plan shall be developed and agreed to by the parents and approved by the court or, if the parents can not agree, established by the court. It is simply a set plan created in the best interest of the child to ensure that all of their needs are met for health and safety. Children can easily feel overwhelmed and are very vulnerable during parental seperation or marriage dissolution. This is why a therapist that works with children should have experience with family counseling and be able to provide the trusting, comfortable atmosphere that a child requires to work through their own feelings of anger, sadness or even fear. Dr. Lisa Saponaro specializes in individual, couples and family therapy in South Florida and can help families who are going through or contemplating divorce in South Florida. She has the compassion for children that can help them to heal during this difficult event.
Children are similar to adults in that they experience stress, frustration, and disappointment. Recent studies suggest that parents underestimate the amount of stress in their children’s lives (APA Stress Survey: Children are more stressed than parents realize). The thoughts and feelings associated with life challenges may lead child to display social, emotional, behavioral problems. Some warning signs that your child may be having problems include: a drop in grades, school conduct referrals, social, withdrawal, moodiness, unrealistic worry and engagement in high risk behaviors such as alcohol with drug use. Parents who want to discover why your child acts out can seek answers from a caring child therapist, Lisa Saponaro, PhD. Dr. Saponaro is an expert in child behavior. She provides an understanding and supportive environment that enables a child to speak freely about his or her fears, feelings, and emotions and help you to discover the root causes of social, emotional, and behavioral problems and replace them with positive coping skills. Plantation Child Psychologist Dr. Lisa Saponaro, PhD is a Florida licensed child psychologist who specializes in family and child therapy. She builds a relationship with each client and gains insight into why an individual thinks and behaves the way they do. Once she discovers this she can help the client (child and parents) understand the root cause of the negative behavior and how to make behavior changes that will improve family communication and household balance. Children may act out because they are seeking attention, control, independence and approval, stressors, such as changes in family dynamics, grief and trauma can erode a person’s coping mechanisms and highlight the need for help. Plantation Children's Counseling Plantation child therapist, Dr. Lisa Saponaro, provides individual and family therapy. She can meet with family members together and separately in order to gain insight into family dynamics and communication styles. She can utilize the family’s strengths and help them work through problem areas. She can teach them how to build stronger bonds and positive communication skills. Children and families often lack the communication skills to properly express their thoughts and emotions. Dr. Saponaro can help them improve this area for personal growth and a return to peaceful and happy family relationships. To schedule therapy sessions for children with behavioral, social, or emotional problems call (954) 560-9567.
Suicide rates for adolescents have risen over the past two decades. In 2019, approximately 1,600 teens between the ages of 12 and 17 died by suicide according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Suicide and COVID-19 Deaths by suicide in girls 12 to 17 began to rise in May 2020. In early 2021, emergency room visits for suspected suicide attempts were over 50% higher. For boys 12 to 17, the increase was just under 4%. When comparing the rate of teen suicide from 2019 to late 2020, there were approximately two times the amount of suspected suicide attempts every four months. Meaning, there have been more suspected suicide attempts since the start of COVID-19 in early 2020. This increase was driven largely by suspected suicide attempt hospital visits among females. Social Media and Suicide The use of social media by adolescents has been seen to impact mental health in recent years. Surveys of US teenagers show that teen depressive symptoms and suicide rates showed marked increases between 2010 and 2015, especially among females. The teenagers surveyed who spent more time on social media were more likely to report mental health issues.Facebook research revealed that Instagram has made body image issues worse for one in three girls surveyed. More than 40% of teenage Instagram users who said they felt “unattractive” said the feeling began while using the app. Those who spent more time on unplugged activities, such as in-person social interaction, sports, exercise, homework, and print media, were less likely to report these issues. The High Rate of Teen Suicide It is difficult to understand exactly why teen suicide is so high but the most likely causes of teen suicide carry risk factors that should be taken seriously. These risks may include aggression, disruptive behavior, substance abuse, and depression. These risk factors often play on the tumultuous feelings experienced by teenagers. Intense feelings can contribute to a teen’s sense of helplessness and to a general feeling that life is not worth living. Teen Suicide Warnings It is important to take the warning signs of teen suicide seriously and to seek help if you think that you know a teenager who might be suicidal. Here are some things to look for: Depressed mood or irritability Disinterest in favorite extracurricular activities Problems at work and losing interest in a job Substance abuse, including alcohol and drug use Behavioral problems Withdrawing from family and friends Sleep changes Changes in eating habits Neglect in hygiene Physical complaints (aches, fatigue, migraines) Difficulty concentrating or paying attention Declining grades in school Loss of interest in schoolwork Risk taking behaviors Complaints of boredom Does not respond to praise as before Teen Suicide Prevention Support is key to teen suicide prevention. Teenagers need to know that you support and love them, and that you are willing to help him or her find hope in life again. One of the most effective ways to prevent teen suicide is to recognize the signs of suicidal thoughts and feelings and seek professional help. Some of the most effective youth suicide prevention programs consist of identifying and treating mental and learning disorders, substance abuse problems, problems dealing with stress and behavioral problems (uncontrollable aggression and impulses). Through mental health counseling, teenagers can find the hope that they need to continue towards a brighter future. Pediatricians often offer depression screenings which signal when a child may be at risk of self-harm. Dr. Lisa Saponaroworks with pediatricians in Broward County and offers suicide prevention counseling at the Center for Psychological Growth and Wellness inSouth Florida. Located in the heart of Plantation, the center is easily accessible from Davie, Sunrise, Weston, Fort Lauderdale, Cooper City, and Southwest Ranches. Since approximately 40% of adolescents who die by suicide have been treated for a mental health concern, it is important to screen broadly for suicide risk to help ensure at-risk youth are not missed. Understanding our strengths and weaknesses is the first step toward making meaningful changes. Take a free screening below to identify your areas of growth. Parent Test: Your Child’s Mental Health Youth Mental Health Test Bipolar Depression Test If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs immediate help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text “HOME” to 741741.
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7820 Peters Road, Suite E-100
Plantation, FL 33324
Located in Broward county one block west of University Drive
Plantation, FL 33324
Located in Broward county one block west of University Drive
Office: (954) 577-0095
Fax: (954) 423-0901