Lisa Allred comes to SAS with a long history of working with families throughout the lifespan. After receiving her undergraduate degree at Wake Forest Universtity and her Masters in Social Work from UNC-CH, her career began as a child therapist focusing on parenting, anxiety and trauma. She then moved into college counseling where she emphasized student wellness and balance.
This month I have been holding a series of "coffee breaks" on campus to meet with parents and discuss strategies for busy families. The following is a list of tips I pulled together. Daily Organization ☐ Basket by door for each family member to keep things that need to go
I recently heard a parent say that the only day better than the day that the kids get out of school for break is the day they go back. As parents, we long for the relaxed weekends free of projects and the lazy evenings at the pool. But when school
June is PRIDE month and there are lots of cool events at SAS and in the community that you can attend to celebrate and learn and have fun. In this blog I am going to share some tips on being an ally-- not just in June, but all year round.
Chances are that sometime in your life you have been hurt by gossip. We probably all agree that gossip is wrong. It spreads negativity in our workplaces and social groups. It is designed to make someone else look bad and to isolate them from the group. It encourages people to
Each week in February, your Work/Life team has invited therapists and dating professionals in the community to respond to questions about relationships. For this third blog in the series, we asked our experts… How do you authentically share your sexuality in a relationship? Kate Freiman-Fox, Ph.D. Matchmaking, Date and
Each week in February, your Work/Life team has invited therapists and dating professionals in the community to respond to questions about relationships. For our second blog in this series, we asked our experts... How do you prepare your children to have authentic romantic relationships? Kate Freiman-Fox, Ph.D. Matchmaking, Date and
Each week in February, your Work/Life team has invited therapists and dating professionals in the community to respond to questions about relationships. To kick off this series, we asked our experts… How do you keep from losing yourself in a relationship—new or longstanding? Kate Freiman-Fox, Ph.D. Matchmaking, Date and Relationship
As promised in my blog, Deciding to Adopt, I will be sharing 4 podcasts about adoption that I recorded with Darius Moore and Alex Kelly with the Children's Home Society of NC. Here are the first two on "Becoming a Foster Parent" and "Fostering to Adoption". On January 18th
In my blog, Deciding to Adopt, I mentioned sharing 4 podcasts about adoption that I recorded with Darius Moore and Alex Kelly with the Children's Home Society of NC. Here are the second two podcasts on "Adopting in NC" and "Cross-cultural Fostering and Adoption". Adopting in NC Cross-cultural Fostering and
Are you thinking about adoption? Congratulations! Here are some questions to ask yourself as you begin this journey, particularly if you don't have any experience raising children. The following are just a few of many considerations. How will your personality blend with parenting? How well do you (and if you have
Before the Thanksgiving holiday break, I shared a graphic with our parent listserv at SAS from 11th Principle: Consent!. This graphic urges parents not to force their kids to hug relatives (or anyone) as a way to teach body safety and the concept of consent. I received so many emails
As parents, sometimes we barely have time to eat, much less read books or listen to hour long seminars on parenting. In this 3 Minute Parenting Tip, you will learn about 3 important strategies to make your rewards or consequences work; no matter the age of your child.
This is a guest blog by Hayden Dawes, LCSW, LCAS-A, as part of the Work/Life February Relationships Series. We offer our sincere thanks to Hayden for volunteering to contribute! As we head into Valentine's week of 2018, I am struck at the differences as to how children and adults typically celebrate
Next week I am offering a lunch-and-learn called "Successfully Single: In and out of relationships", but I think I should have titled it "Attractiveness and Self-investment". I am not sure how many people want to be "successfully single", particularly this month when our collective attention is focused on love and
This is a guest blog by Shelly Hummel, LMFT and Carole Cullen, LMFT as part of the Work/Life February Relationships Series. We offer our sincere thanks to Shelley and Carole for volunteering to contribute! Jennifer and Dave have been married for 3 years. “We have a huge argument every December
Sometimes we social worker types in Work/Life forget that other people don't use phrases like "love languages" with the same ease that the typical SAS employee might talk about "data-driven customer experience." In Work/Life we are kicking off a February series on relationships, so I wanted to take a moment to tell
Happy New Year from your Work/Life Team! Lisa here. I don’t really do “resolutions” in January, but I have set an “intention” before and loved the way I was able to focus my thoughts and behaviors around it. Part of why an intention works better than resolutions for me is
Driving to work today I was thinking about the "funk" that has descended upon me over the last few weeks. Shorter days and less light? Dry skin and a stuffy nose? Old and cranky? Maybe all of those are true, but as I reflect, I realize it happens every year
I don't have a big vacation planned this summer. Don't feel sorry for me... I am going to Germany for a week in October and on Friday I leave for my second weekend at the beach. I have recently been reading about what makes a vacation "restorative". There is some cool
I am having a rough spring. My allergies are awful, really dreadful. I got sick and couldn't knock it for months. I injured my hip flexor in December and on some days in Jan, Feb, and March it hurt to even stand still much less exercise. And did I mention I am 50? I
As a single mom of 10 years, I have vacillated back and forth from “There is no evening that I wouldn’t rather take a bath than go on a date” to “ok, this might be fun.” Mostly, thinking about dating as a single parent just makes me tired. Whether you
In our Work/Life Relationship series we are trying to offer something for everyone. I thought a light-hearted blog of funny dating stories from LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning) teens would be a good addition. This year W/L will be doing more educational offerings around parenting LGBTQ kids and
“Omg, Mom, people are going to think you actually look like that!” My 16 y/o recently got a Facebook account (apparently passé for teens in US but not in Europe and as her circle expands…). So, now she has a front row seat to my (apparently embarrassing) selfies. It’s
Next week, Work/Life, HCC, and RFC will hold the first ever Sleep Transformation challenge for SAS employees and their adult family members. As part of a series of blogs on sleep by the Work/Life staff, today’s topic is Children and Sleep. Like adults, many children do not get enough
This blog is the fourth in a February series from SAS Work/Life. First we had Laurie Watson talk about Finding the Love you Need. Her blog was followed up by an excellent Lunch and Learn Attachment and Dating! Next, Dr. Mona Gupta and colleagues blogged about Dating the Second Time Around. The third blog,
I subscribe to a listserv that sends out articles on communication. I was reading an article recently on how to talk to your spouse about starting a family. As I read through the article I realized these steps apply to communication with your spouse about any emotionally charged issue. I found the steps so
Happy Friday! Here is another guest blog post for our February Relationship Series. This week features Caitlin Kline, LCSW, exploring the decision of whether or not to get married. To Have and to Hold or to Hold Out A therapist’s take on moving a long-term relationship into marriage By Caitlin Kline, MSW,
It's a Friday in February...that means it's time for another guest blog! This week's relationship series blog post comes from Gupta Psychiatry; providing insight and encouragement for those preparing to re-enter the dating world. Batter Up! Dating the Second Time Around A Collaborative Piece By: Dr. Mona Gupta, Amy Murray,
Here is the first in a series of guest blog posts you can expect to see every Friday throughout February as part of the Work/Life Relationship Series. Our first guest blogger is Laurie Watson, Director of Awakenings Center for Intimacy and Sexuality. Finding the Love You Need If you’re single
Anyone with children knows that the trip home from a holiday vacation can be excruciating. Just like adults, the anxiety about getting back to school/camp/daycare or just normal life often seeps into that last travel day. Everyone is tired and cranky and full of sugar after days of being spoiled
