Welcome to my website! I am Dr. Astrid Heathcote, licensed clinical psychologist and CEO of Ahwatukee Psychological Services, PLLC. Feel free to browse through my site and please leave comments or questions you may have about my services. I enjoy working with all age groups providing psychological assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for anxiety, depression, ASC (autism spectrum conditions), all DSM V disorders, in the comfortable surrounding of my centrally located office, however I will travel to your site to provide consultation for parents and employers. I am looking forward to talking to you!
I can help you with questions regarding your child/teenager. Be rest assured that most behaviors kids exhibit are normal, however there are some "red flags" when your child/teen may benefit from talking to a psychologist; if your child is not sleeping well and reports not to feel rested when she gets up in the morning, for example, may be an indicator that something is going on that interferes with your kid's normal functioning. Also, changes in appetite, or a drastic drop in grades, social withdrawal or loss in interest being around peers or family, could all be indicators that something is bothering your child. I encourage parents to keep up with visits to the pediatrician to rule out chronic medical conditions or deficiencies (e.g., low iron, or thyroid), which may mimic mental health concerns such as depression.
Feel free to ask me any question you may have.
“Teenagers blithely skip off to uncertain futures, while their parents sit weeping curbside in the Volvo, because the adolescent brain isn't yet formed enough to recognize and evaluate risk.” (Michael. J. Fox)
As parents we must be aware that this world is changing quickly and that we often have unreasonable expectations of our children; this has created a highly competitive academic environment with children who may not feel confident about their abilities; a high stress environment with a weak social support system that has created mental health concerns in children and teens of an all time high of 25%. Autism spectrum disorders have also climbed to 1 in 88 children and 1 in 54 boys.
We must be aware of our children's mental health needs and provide them quickly with psychological "First Aid" when they need it. Read more on amazon.com "Existential versus Virtual Parenting of the "Z" Generation". (Dr. Astrid Heathcote)
Nevertheless, adults need to take care of themselves as well, mental health concerns are also 1 in 4 !
Call me for a FREE 10 minute consultation.
