Columns

Ask Dr. Mike

February 28, 2024

Dr Mike, Our 18-year-old daughter who is a senior in high school, is addicted to her phone, and we don’t know what to do. The phone is always in her hand, and even though my husband and I don’t disapprove of most of what she’s doing with the phone, we also think she’s on it…

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Just like nothing (else) on earth: Hal & Berni Hanson Regional Park 

February 28, 2024

By Tim Jon I was so anxious to explore this place, I arrived long before sunrise and forced myself to wait in my car until I could at least justify the camera in my pocket; I’d made the discovery – just a few days before my visit – of a new ‘sleeping giant’ of a…

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Just like nothing (else) on earth: Leesburg Presbyterian Churchyard

January 31, 2024

By Tim Jon I am not one to dwell in the past; in the performance of my six-day-a-week job, my colleagues and I generally work at such a frantic pace that we joke about forgetting our own names. That’s not as far from the truth as you might guess, what with mail carriers expected to…

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How to cope when your pre-teen/teen doesn’t want to spend time with you

January 31, 2024

By Michael Oberschneider, Psy.D. There is certainly a lot written on the Empty Nest Syndrome – the period of grief that many parents feel after their grown child leaves home – but there are far fewer articles on how parents can best navigate their pre-teen or teen’s journey toward independence while still living at home.…

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Burial Ground for the Enslaved at Belmont

Just like nothing (else) on earth: Burial Ground for the Enslaved at Belmont

January 3, 2024

By Tim Jon Next time I stop in, I want to hear the birds sing, as I took an early morning stroll around the land set aside as the Burial Ground for the Enslaved at Belmont. I found the silence broken only by the nearby traffic on Route Seven – with the motorists – understandably…

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What is collaborative divorce and is it right for me?

January 3, 2024

By Michael Obschneider, Psy. D. Divorce is an inherently tumultuous life event that significantly impacts the emotional well-being of all those involved.  And, the approach to divorce can greatly influence the outcome, with collaborative divorce offering a less adversarial alternative to traditional litigation. This method, focusing on negotiation and mutual agreement outside of court, holds…

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Just like nothing (else) on earth: Austin Grove United Methodist Church

November 29, 2023

By Tim Jon  The place appeared to be sleeping, the last time I visited. And that was fine, as I’d driven from my home in Leesburg that morning – coming up through the Town of Middleburg and then on a series of unpaved roads – passing through the small community of Bloomfield on the way.…

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Ask Dr. Mike

November 29, 2023

By Michael Oberschneider, Psy.D. Dr. Mike: Our 16-year-old son is having a really hard time academically. He gets the occasional A, a lot of B’s and some C’s, and he doesn’t apply himself at all. His grades are all over the place, and we never see him doing homework. With grade inflation within LCPS, we’re…

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Just like nothing (else) on earth: Snake Hill Road

November 1, 2023

By Tim Jon Complete isolation, peace and quiet can be quite rare commodities these days in the thriving Northern Virginia County of Loudoun, but these conditions prevailed on my first-ever drive down the entire length of today’s subject of discovery. The relative tranquility I found fought for attention, though, with the general rural nature of…

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How to talk to your child about the Hamas-Israel Conflict

October 26, 2023

By Michael Oberschneider, Psy.D. Technology is ubiquitous, and as a result, our children are constantly being bombarded with information. Certainly, we as parents can do our best to make sure that the information our children view is age-appropriate, however, sometimes that’s not enough or sometimes the stories our children learn about are confusing and upsetting.…

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