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About On the Yellow Couch

Welcome to On the Yellow Couch with Dr. Angelica Shiels! Dr. Shiels is a wife and a mother of three young boys as well as a child and adult therapist. In her free-time, when she isn’t ninja-fighting, catching frogs, or wiping pee from around the toilet, she enjoys spending time on her own couch…. Which she wishes was yellow, but is actually brown and falling apart on account of the three milk-spilling ninjas…. Dr. Shiels really enjoys her job outside of the house, where kids, teens, adults, and couples can sit on a nice leather couch where no Gogurt is ever squeezed. Therapy with Dr. Shiels in available in the Annapolis/Baltimore/DC area. Find her articles on Psych Central and Lifehack. Find her blog posts on Scary Mommy, Mamapedia, and others.

Dealing with your child’s anxiety: The support and accountability balance.

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In a recent blog post, I mentioned that anxiety is currently over-catastrophized and over-diagnosed.  I went on to explain that in years past, a child who feared giving an oral presentation would basically be told to “suck it up and deal,” whereas … Continue reading

The Loyalty Dilema: Caught Between the Wife and the Mother

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Dear male readers (all seven of you.  Hint hint, please tag your husband and share this article.), Let’s talk about a little dilemma that I too-often hear about in couples therapy:  Your wife is pissed because you won’t tell your overbearing/judgmental … Continue reading

Mental Illness and Young Adults: Why College Campuses are in Crisis

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Let’s talk about the mental health of young adults in the United States.  It seems to me, from what I’ve read and observed in my corner of the country, that we are headed for a crisis if something doesn’t change. … Continue reading

“My Teen Uses Depression and Self Injury to Manipulate

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From time-to-time, I hear some variation of, “My child is so manipulative.  She’s only cutting herself and saying she is depressed for attention.  She’s not really that depressed.” When manipulation is suggested, there are several points I typically make to parents: 1) … Continue reading

Reader Asks: My stepson’s father sucks.

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Reader Asks: I have a step son who while isn’t “special needs,” he has anxiety and general effort issues. He certainly requires more time and energy than my kids to motivate and disciple. That however is not why I write … Continue reading

Ode to the anxious person’s spouse.

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Dear spouse of a person whose nerves are raw, You are a vision of patience and deserve an applause. How sweetly you listen to Web MD’s diagnosis, When your spouse knows she has deep vein thrombosis. Hail to you when you don’t roll your eyes, When your partner … Continue reading

5 reasons your husband is on Ashley Madison

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This is for the thousands of [mostly] women who recently spelled-out their husband’s email in that little box on the computer screen …. click click click…. and were horrified to see the results…. Here are 5 reasons your husband has an Ashley Madison account: 1) Your … Continue reading