M OM + POP THE WORLD BASICALLY STOPPED: HOW PARENTS CAN HELP CHILDREN WITH THEIR POST-COVID LIVES By Amy Senk
Quarantines and Zoom school are out. Normal life is in. Or is it? I reached out to Jennifer Smith of the Smith Psychotherapy Group in Newport Beach, along with Allie Runkel, a therapist on her staff, to learn more about what struggles families are experiencing in 2022. I had hoped to get some insight from Jennifer, a licensed marriage and family therapist, and Allie, a licensed professional clinical counselor, about the headline-making issues we hear so much about — suicide, fear of gun violence, sexual identity, bullying.
Jennifer Smith of the Smith Psychotherapy Group
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Instead, they told me that the pandemic experience has stunted our kids’ development so deeply that almost any other issue must be viewed through the Covid lens. It literally changed everything.
Photo credit courtesy of Jennifer Smith and Allie Runkel