By Lucas Watling As summer approaches, I often hear a mix of excitement and stress from both children and caregivers. For many kids, the thought of sleeping in, swimming, vacations, and taking a break from homework sounds amazing. At the same time, I have also seen that the transition out of the school routine can feel a little more complicated than we expect. Children thrive on predictability, even if they do not always act like it. During the school year, life often follows

By Lucas Watling When I think about the Pride movement, I don’t just think about parades, rainbow flags, or a specific month on the calendar. I think about what it feels like to belong. I think about what it feels like to be seen for who you are and know that you do not have to hide parts of yourself to be loved or accepted. As someone who works with children, adolescents, and families, I have seen how deeply acceptance can shape emotional wellbeing. At the same time, I have

By Rob Krupicka, MSW Many of the men I work with don't arrive saying they need help. They arrive saying they are frustrated. Irritable. Feeling unappreciated or stuck. Tired in a way that sleep does not fix. That exhaustion is often the first honest thing they've said out loud in a long time. Underneath it, the questions are usually deeper: Who am I if I'm not producing? What do I want from my relationships? Why does everything feel harder than it should? Therapy creates spac

By Rob Krupicka, MSW Please fix my kid. Most parents who contact me are focused on behavior. Their teenager won't do homework. Won't come out of their room. Talks back constantly or has stopped talking at all. They want to know how to get their child to do the things that need to get done. It makes sense. When a family is in distress, the friction of daily life is what's most visible and most exhausting. But in my experience, fixing the kid isn't usually the best focus. The b

By Lucas Watling You might be wondering what therapists mean when they recommend play therapy for your child. You might be thinking “is my child going to therapy to just play the whole time?” or “how is play going to help them make progress towards their goals?”. Those concerns are completely understandable. This post is designed to provide you with some insight into how play therapy can be truly transformative even when it might not look like it on the surface level. One of

By Rob Krupicka, MSW Slam, the door closes. The answers go flat. One word, or none. Connection disappears. The teenager who was right there is suddenly somewhere you cannot reach. If you are the parent of a neurodivergent teenager, you probably know this moment. You may have learned to dread it. You may have tried talking through it, pushing through it, waiting it out, or walking away. And you may have wondered, more than once, whether your child is using this to anger you or

By Lucas Watling “A mother’s love liberates.” – Maya Angelou Mother’s Day is framed as this one day where everything is supposed to feel meaningful and put together in celebration of the mothers in our lives. But in reality, the mother-child relationship is way more layered than anything you can capture in a single day. It’s not just love in the obvious sense. It’s love mixed with stress, growth, conflict, and a lot of figuring things out as you go. What I’ve noticed often is

By Rob Krupicka, MSW If you work from home, or live with someone who does, you are already navigating something that has no clear precedent in most of our families' histories. The commute that once created a transition is gone. The office that separated professional from personal identity no longer exists in the same way. For some area families this has been a genuine gift. For others, it has created quiet pressures that are easy to underestimate and surprisingly hard to name

By Melanie Froemke, LCSW, RPT-S, e-RYT200 This year, I had the privilege of participating in the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Alexandria program—an experience that brought together leaders from public service, small businesses, and community organizations for a shared purpose: growth. Each month, we gathered not just to learn, but to reflect, challenge ourselves, and support one another. Guided by Stacy Cook, Principal at Perception Learning and developer of th

By Rob Krupicka, MSW I wrote a poem recently about a trail crossing in the Blue Ridge. A couple I passed on the path was working hard to stay dry — studying the rocks, testing each step, looking for the surest way across. I crossed without pausing. Cold water through wool. A quick shock up my back. A smile I didn't plan. You'll get wet, I said. They laughed — nervously. What I was watching, I think, was the exhaustion of trying to control what cannot be controlled. The energy

By Amanda Kaliner, LPC Middle schoolers often get a bad reputation. They’re described as awkward, moody, and unpredictable. As a caregiver in any role, whether it be as a parent, doctor, therapist, or teacher, this time in a child’s life can seem intimidating. While yes, there is some truth to the emotional ups and downs of this stage, that description misses something much more important: young adolescence can be one of the most honest, insightful, and meaningful ages to wor

By Rob Krupicka, MSW | River Grove Therapy A Wall Street Journal piece published in March 2026, written by Pamela Paul and republished by the Spritzler Report under the title What Will Happen When All the Male Therapists Are Gone? asks a question worth sitting with. The article examines how psychology has shifted from an 80/20 male-to-female ratio in the 1960s to the near- complete reversal we see today, and what that means for the millions of boys and men who need mental he

By Melanie Froemke, LCSW, RPT-S, e-RYT To me, both as a parent and a therapist, I see AI as a bit of a tidal wave, and from the mental health perspective, we’re IN the tsunami. It’s here, there’s no stopping it, and we need to know what to do to make sure our kids stay safe. Unlike a tsunami, I acknowledge- we need to approach AI as a tool and a resource - not unbridled fear - with respect for the concerns we have for our kids’ mental health and well-being. AI is showing

By Melanie Froemke, LCSW, RPT-S, eRYT It feels even more appropriate as we highlight International Play Therapy Week, February 1-7, 2026, to highlight Heather Orenstein. Heather came to us with vast experience working with children. Heather loves working across the lifespan, and is finding a particular niche in her love of play therapy . At River Grove Therapy, we're so grateful to have Heather Orenstein on our team. She's experienced, kind, compassionate, and extremely knowl

By Melanie Froemke, LCSW, RPT-S, e-RYT As a therapist, one of my strengths and passions is supporting parents of high-performing (often late-diagnosed) autistic kids, particularly those who have demand avoidant behaviors. To the untrained eye or unknowing parent, these behaviors can come across as difficult to understand and navigate, and sometimes, confounding and just downright maddening! As parents, we may feel judged by other parents, teachers, and really, by society in

By Rob Krupicka, MSW It is common for parents I work with to worry about how much time their children spend on screens. I get it, I worry about this as well. But a growing body of research suggests the more important question for all of us may be: How much time am I (the parent) spending on screens, especially around my children? A 2025 study by Selak and colleagues offers a distressing picture of what happens when children see their parents distracted by smartphones. The re

By Rob Krupicka, MSW In nearly every stage of life, people come to therapy searching for meaning. Whether the presenting issues are depression, anxiety, substance abuse, ADHD, or something else, my experience is that meaning plays an important role in treatment. Some want to know why they feel restless or empty despite having what looks like a good life. Others wonder how to find direction after loss, retirement, situational change, or disappointment. Adolescents may not even

An interview with Amanda Kaliner, LPC, by Melanie Froemke, LCSW, RPT-S, e-RYT200 At River Grove Therapy, we're absolutely loving having...

By Melanie Froemke, LCSW, RPT-S, e-RYT200 Honoring Life: Suicide Prevention as a Veteran and Therapist As both a veteran and an...

By Rob Krupicka, MSW When Mental Illness Shapes Family Life: Finding Healing Together When mental illness touches a family, it rarely...