top of page
Playful Wisdom Blog
Search
The Kids Who Feel the World Most, Sensory Sensitive Beings
Some children move through the world with the volume turned up. Lights are brighter, sounds are louder, and feelings run deeper. Other children are turned up differently and need more movement, more pressure, and more input just to feel like themselves. If you're raising a sensory kid, you already know how much these differences shape your days. What you may not know is how hopeful the research is. Doing Harder helped more for sensory kids Researchers call this differential s
Cary M Hamilton
6 days ago4 min read
The Girl Staring Out the Window, ADHD Hiding In Plain Sight
Girls with ADHD are often skilled at masking. They copy a friend's notes, stay up late redoing work, and people-please their way through the day. Many get diagnosed with anxiety or depression first, because that's what shows on the surface.
The ADHD underneath keeps running the show.
Cary M Hamilton
6 days ago3 min read
Not Spoiled. Not Picky. Not Dramatic. It's Sensory
I have felt that stare. One day I wasn't paying attention to everything we had already done: store to store, loud, bright. My son hit his limit in the middle of Target. He screamed, curled into a ball, and slammed his head into the floor. The looks from other shoppers were critical, judging, and disturbing. I knew he was in a meltdown, not a tantrum. I held him and told him, "I've got you, love." Then I looked up at the strangers, smiled, and said, "I've got this." What I mea
Cary M Hamilton
Oct 133 min read
Volume Ten: The Emotional Side of ADHD Nobody Talks About
The same brain systems that manage attention also manage emotion. Executive function includes the pause between a feeling and a reaction, and in ADHD those systems mature later, often by several years. Your nine-year-old may be working with the emotional brakes of a six-year-old.
Cary M Hamilton
Oct 133 min read
You Have Eight Senses. Your Child Is Using All of Them.
October is also Sensory Awareness Month, and I want to start with the senses nobody taught us in kindergarten. Most of us learned five. Your child's nervous system runs on eight, and the three we skipped explain a lot of what people call "behavior problems."
Cary M Hamilton
Oct 84 min read
ADHD, It's Not a Deficit. It's a Traffic Jam.
At least once a week, a parent sits across from me and says some version of this: "He can build in Minecraft for four hours straight. Why can't he do ten minutes of homework?"
It's a fair question. The answer changes how you see your child.
Attention isn't what's missing. Steering it is.
For years I wrote "attention deficit" in treatment plans without a second thought. I explained it to parents in my office. It sounded precise and clinical.
Cary M Hamilton
Oct 64 min read
This Fall Feels Different — And I Don't Think It's Just You
It's not just the kids this year
Every fall carries some version of transition stress — new teachers, new routines, the jump from unstructured summer days back into a schedule.
That's normal, and most kids move through it in a few weeks.
However, this year there's more sitting on top of the ordinary stuff. Families are watching the news and feeling the economy in ways that show up at the dinner table even when nobody says the word "budget" out loud. School safety has become
Cary M Hamilton
Aug 315 min read
Why Boredom Is a Mental Health Skill (Not a Problem to Fix)
Every summer, I hear some version of the same worried question: "My kid keeps saying they're bored. Should I be doing more?"
Usually, the answer is no.
Mental health isn't the absence of discomfort. It's knowing what to do with it. And boredom, as uncomfortable as it feels for both the kid experiencing it and the parent watching it happen, is one of the earliest places a child practices that skill.
What boredom asks of the brain.
Cary M Hamilton
Jul 53 min read
Living and Understanding ADHD: A Journey Through the Maze—From Both Sides
October is here, and with it comes ADHD Awareness Month. As someone who sits in a unique intersection—a licensed mental health counselor and child mental health specialist, registered play therapy supervisor, clinic owner, AND a mom to neurodivergent kids with ADHD and SPD married to a neurodivergent partner—I can tell you that ADHD awareness isn't just professional knowledge for me. It's a lived experience.
Here's the twist: I'm neurotypical.
Cary M Hamilton
Oct 16, 202512 min read
When the Storm Hits: Why Your Child's Mental Health Can't Wait for After-School Hours
Here's what every parent needs to understand: stressed brains don't learn. When a child's nervous system is overwhelmed—whether by anxiety, depression, trauma, or neurodivergent challenges—their brain literally cannot access its higher-level functions needed for academic learning.
The science is clear: chronic stress affects brain structure and function. The amygdala, our fear center, becomes hyperactive, while the hippocampus, vital for learning and memory, becomes compro
Cary M Hamilton
Aug 23, 20255 min read
The Value of Continuing Therapy in the Summer Months
Therapy is like watering a plant. The growth you see today was nurtured weeks or months ago, and ongoing attention is what keeps that growth alive. Summer breaks can disrupt a child’s therapeutic rhythm, leading to regression in areas such as emotional regulation, social skills, and coping strategies.
Even skipping just 6–8 weeks can undo hard-earned gains. Continuing weekly or even bi-weekly sessions helps maintain momentum and reinforce the safe, consistent space your ch
Cary M Hamilton
Jun 5, 20253 min read
More Than Just a Hashtag: Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. But let's be honest—mental health isn't just a monthly theme; it's the backdrop of our daily lives. It's the silent partner in our successes and the loud critic in our challenges. And while we've made strides in bringing mental health into the conversation, there's still a long road ahead.
Cary M. Hamilton of Olympia Therapy
May 3, 20253 min read
Embracing Neurodiversity
As a mental health specialist, I’ve learned that no two brains are the same – and that’s a wonderful thing.
Cary M. Hamilton
Mar 18, 20256 min read
This March, Our Bodies Remember: Navigating a World of Uncertainty
Five years ago, the world stopped.
March 2020 brought a global experience of fear, disbelief, grief, and isolation. It was a collective
Cary M. Hamilton
Mar 1, 20253 min read
The Therapeutic Power of Play: Why Play Therapy Works
Imagine this: your child is engaged in a make-believe battle, complete with roaring dinosaurs and epic explosions.
Cary M. Hamilton of Olympia Therapy
Feb 2, 20254 min read
One Word, One Focus: How an Intention Can Shape Your 2025
What if the most transformative thing you could do for your mental health in 2025 wasn’t setting a resolution or achieving a goal
Cary M Hamilton
Jan 1, 20252 min read
Gratitude As A Lighthouse
Life is often like navigating a restless sea, full of surprise currents, sudden storms, and the constant tug of distractions.
Cary M Hamilton
Nov 26, 20243 min read
Finding Glimmers This Fall: Embracing Small Moments of Joy in the Messy Middle
Here’s the thing about life—it’s messy, unpredictable, and beautifully imperfect.
Cary M Hamilton
Nov 7, 20244 min read
Putting a Freeze on the Holiday Meltdowns
While we love to fantasize about winter wonderlands and the holiday spirit, any parent knows that meltdowns are just as prevalent as snowfla
Olympia Therapy
Nov 4, 20244 min read
OCD Awareness Week
OCD Awareness Week is from October 13th-19th. It is important to shed light on OCD because your knowledge can make a difference.
Cary M Hamilton
Oct 15, 20244 min read
Mental Health Matters: Here are 6 Ways to Improve Yours
Today is World Mental Health Day. A day recognized by many that is designed to raise awareness around mental health and promote mental...
Olympia Therapy
Oct 10, 20244 min read
Parenting Sensory Processing Neurodivergence.
Alright, listen up. Parenting today—it’s like you’ve been handed a manual that’s missing half the pages, but you’re expected to be an expert
Cary M. Hamilton
Oct 4, 20246 min read
Navigating Teen Stress in a World Without Phones at School
This year, our local school districts and schools across the country have started cracking down on cell phone use, implementing stricter...
Cary M Hamilton
Sep 9, 20245 min read
Embracing Diversity and Love
As the vibrant colors of summer bloom around us, we step into a month of celebration, reflection, and advocacy: Pride Month.
Cary M. Hamilton
Jun 1, 20243 min read
The information contained on this site, blog posts, videos, and interviews are for general education purposes and do not constitute professional advice. If you are a provider, it’s important to seek training, continuing education, or clinical supervision. If you are a parent, I encourage you to seek direct help from a qualified provider for your child and family. All identifying information, including names and other details, has been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
*The photos used are personal or are stock photography models and do not represent specific individuals in any way.
bottom of page