• Home
  • Locations
    • Charlottesville North
    • Charlottesville East
    • Charlottesville West
    • Crozet
    • Lynchburg
    • Arlington/Alexandria
    • Falls Church
    • North Carolina
    • Pediatric Associates Downtown
    • Teletherapy Across Virginia
    • Teletherapy International
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Teletherapy and Outdoor Sessions
    • Our Team
      • Therapists
        • Charlottesville North
          • Micaela Bates, Psy.D
        • Charlottesville West
          • Alexandra Werntz, Ph.D.
          • Amanda Sovik-Johnston, Ph.D.
          • Caroline Megargel, MSW, LCSW
          • Lily Baker, MSW
          • Markita Jackson
          • Morgan Lanier, LPC
        • Charlottesville East
          • Jesse Dice, MSW, LCSW
          • James Czywczynski, LPC
          • Leon Henry, MSW, LCSW
          • Markita Jackson
          • Matt Browning, LPC
          • Nikki Bowles, LCSW
          • Terah Johnson, MSW
          • Dalia Gladstein, M.Ed.
        • Crozet
          • Liz Bordogna, MA
          • Dayna Kumar, LPC
          • Mackenzie Nelson, MA, Resident-In-Counseling
          • Markita Jackson
          • Sean Flannery, Ph.D., Psychologist
          • Addison Halverson, MFT, MS
        • Arlington/Alexandria
          • Jodi Harris, LCSW
          • Kristin Miller, MA, NCC, Resident in Counseling
          • Amanda Ercilla Treviño, LCSW
          • Pat Ryan, LCSW
          • Constance Zubairu-Kanu
        • Falls Church
          • Jodi Harris, LCSW
          • Pat Ryan, LCSW
          • Kate Bowen, LCSW
          • Amanda Ercilla Treviño, LCSW
          • Marisa Beck, MS
        • Lynchburg, VA
          • Dayna Kumar, LPC
          • Kristin Miller, MA, NCC, Resident in Counseling
          • Justin R. Smith, DO, Psychiatrist
          • Kathleen Van Allen, LPC
          • Emily Chuang
        • Pediatric Associates Downtown
          • Liz Bordogna, MA
          • John “JT” Thompson
        • Specialized Staff
          • Julia Gilliam
          • Markita Jackson
    • Blog
    • Press & Media
    • Careers and Training Programs
  • Psychiatry
    • Robert J. Johnston, MD, Psychiatrist
    • Justin R. Smith, DO, Psychiatrist
  • Services
    • Psychological Assessment
    • Brainspotting for Trauma
    • Children (0-12)
      • Child Therapy
      • Family Counseling
    • Teenagers & Young Adults (12-24)
      • Child Therapy
      • Family Counseling
      • College Student/ Young Adult Therapy
      • Young Women Athletes
    • Adults (22-99)
      • Individual Therapy
      • Couples Counseling
      • Family Counseling
      • Geriatric Therapy
    • Parents (14+)
      • Family Counseling
      • Parent Coach
      • Parenting through the Pandemic
  • New Clients
    • Rates and Insurance
  • Contact Us
logo

(434) 202-4080 | hello@virginiafamilytherapy.com

Administrative hours 9am-5pm
Clinician Hours 8am-8pm depending on Clinician

Active and Connected Families Podcast

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Amanda Sovik-Johnston

My WordPress Blog

First Time Phone Users…a Must Read

August 19, 2020 by Amanda Leave a Comment

Are you considering purchasing or handing down a phone for your tween/teen for the first time? Perhaps this whole pandemic business has pushed your timeline forward a bit considering the inevitable wave of distance learning and the hurdles needed to successfully enter in to our new normal?

If you’re wondering how to navigate these uncertain waters, we have advice that we think you’ll love to hear!

Before the pandemic (and now during) we at Virginia Family Therapy have seen a strong need for parents to have a basic set of tools in their toolbox when it comes to introducing the responsibility of a new phone to our kids. What we DO know is that we don’t want our kids to turn into phone zombies. On the flip side, it would be nice if we could all find an easy way to set expectations moving forward so that both kid(s) and parent(s) are on the same page when it comes to next steps in phone health.

In case you haven’t heard, we wrote a whole guidebook on this subject which is for sale in our Etsy store. If you’re interested in checking it out, you can find our freebie worksheet here!

For now, let’s just cover some helpful basics:

Deciding to get a phone for your tween/teen can start off as a discussion. You and your child should sit down and discuss expectations at the outset.

Here are some examples:
– The purpose for the phone (homework, keeping track of your child through check-in’s, etc.)
– Schedule of expected times that the phone can be used, where it is stored, and when not in use it (localized charging stations, a bowl in the kitchen, limiting hours of use, and more)
– What to do when the “rules of engagement” have been disrupted or breached (limits on phone use, removing social media apps and games)
– Responsible use of the phone. Like a pet, the phone needs to be cleaned, charged each night, treated with care and respect.
– Where and when will the phone be used? Can it go into a bedroom?

We can’t expect our kids to not be giddy upon receiving their new phones. What we can expect is a healthy and mutually beneficial relationship once we lay down the expectations. Kids look for a multitude of boundaries when it comes to a fun little piece of technology that not only links them to the great big internet world, but can also link to some distracting realities, like social media.

Each parent knows their kid(s), their limits, their weaknesses and strengths. We encourage you to try out our worksheet and let us know how your own journey is going. Questions? Reach out today and we will do our best to answer them and get you off on the right foot of your successful journey as a parent with a first-time phone user. You’ve got this!

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens, Children, Parenting, Teens/Children, Uncategorized

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Locations in:
Charlottesville West
Charlottesville East
Crozet
Falls Church/Fairfax VA

Teletherapy across Virginia

(434) 202-4080
hello@virginiafamilytherapy.com

By submitting this form via this web portal, you acknowledge and accept the risks of communicating your health information via this unencrypted email and electronic messaging and wish to continue despite those risks. By clicking "Yes, I want to submit this form" you agree to hold Brighter Vision harmless for unauthorized use, disclosure, or access of your protected health information sent via this electronic means.

Privacy Policy

A Therapist Website by
Brighter Vision