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.
We’ve all been asked to do things we feel are ridiculous. Maybe the store-owner asks you to use the restroom stall to breastfeed your kid. Maybe your mother, forgetting what it’s like to be a parent, tells you that you really should prioritize wiping … Continue reading →
Today is national stress awareness day, yo. And I know just what you’re thinking: How DOES a hard-working mofo such as myself go about diminishing the detrimental emotional and physical effects of stress? Well, allow me to help you and … Continue reading →
In my line of work, I am privileged to catch glimpses of humanity’s vulnerability: “I don’t initiate sex because it would destroy me if she said no.” “I fear my own rage when my child makes me angry,” “I’m still thinking about … Continue reading →
Since articles without tangible application are boring, let’s get started with a simple quiz. Chose a response to the following scenarios: 1) Your friend/spouse kept you waiting at the restaurant for 30 minutes, before he finally shows up, clearly frazzled and … Continue reading →
Therapists. Admittedly, we tend to be a hippy dippy bunch. Trained to pull from our vast understandings of neurology and human nature, we spend years developing virtually bottomless capacities for empathy. Just kidding. I mean, yes there is a little of that, but it also helps … Continue reading →
Rainbow Brite: Every October since college, I have imagined, just for a night, rolling around in smiles and stripes to become some version of this childhood icon. This year, I finally fulfill my decade-long dream… Adult costume party to attend: Check. Striped Socks … Continue reading →
Reader writes: How do you motivate a “lazy” tween? One who shortcuts and half assess everything, even if you hover and will lie his butt off to get out of whatever it is you want from him? My son is 11/6th … Continue reading →
“Oops! I’m so sorry! I totally forgot to bring the testing materials back today, and I just remembered you needed to use them. I feel so guilty.” I was apologizing to my supervisor during my clinical internship at a Chicago prison circa 2007. … Continue reading →
Kent, a retired army commander, often discussed his marital struggles in therapy: “Doc, get this: Marianne said she needed to take a business trip to Chicago with a male coworker. I did just like you would have told me to do- I calmly asked her not … Continue reading →
Imagine this scene: Your third-grader, standing before you with hands on hips, indignantly whines, “Mo-om! You didn’t remember to add money to my lunch account!! The lunch lady had to give me a special note today, and it was SO-OH EMBARASSING! How FLAKY can you … Continue reading →