Donna Mac Email & Phone Number

Glendale Heights, Il, Us

Www.Breakingthroughselectivemutism.Com

This book is meant for parents, teachers, clinicians, and others working with children with SM. My own identical twins suffer from selective mutism, and I am also a licensed clinical therapist working in a therapeutic day school with children with an array of emotional disorders including SM. The book will be out the summer of 2015, but until then, my website is www.breakingthroughselectivemutism.com The book covers causes, treatment, stories of SM, a differential diagnosis between normative shyness, social anxiety, specific phobia, autism spectrum, oppositional defiant disorder, intellectual disability, and learning disability. It offers suggestions on how to start getting help in school, both academically and in the social-emotional realm.

Www.Toddlersandadhd.Com

Is your toddler going through the "whacky ones," "terrible twos," "troublesome threes," or "fudgesicle fours," or "flippin' fives"? Or could their behavior be something more? ADHD is a genetic condition that usually has an onset prior to age 4. ADHD is a condition with an inability to effectively self-regulate. It presents with hyperactivity, impulsivity, inattentiveness, irritability, and/or aggression. Due to the fact that all toddlers demonstrate some “ADHD behavior,” it can be challenging to discern if the child’s behavior falls “within normal limits” or if the toddler actually demonstrates “clinically significant behavior.” This can be confusing for parents, teachers, and even clinicians, making ADHD more challenging to accurately diagnose during these early years. This book can help clarify this distinction, although this book is not to be used to formulate a diagnosis. As clinicians, we do not want to over-diagnose or overmedicate society, so there are many things that can look like ADHD that are not ADHD. Therefore, I share the latest research on the diagnosis of ADHD and the treatment of 1-5 year olds with this condition. Most toddlers who have ADHD will not respond to typical behavior modification programs, so this book will be helpful in aligning parenting strategies to that of a toddler with this condition. You will also find information on how to effectively maneuver out in public with your child and how you can respond to others’ judgment. You will learn coping skills for yourself and hot to teach coping skills to your toddler, which will lessen stress so your family gets back to a baseline level of functioning. In addition, you will find out how to seek help, the right questions to ask, and what you can expect from Early Intervention Services, preschool and kindergarten based services, holistic approaches, and therapeutic or psychiatric services for your child.

Il

Individual therapy, group therapy, and case management.I treat adolescents with emotional disorders in both individual and group therapy. They are diagnosed with mental illnesses of bipolar disorder, ADHD, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, PTSD, major depression, borderline personality, and many suffer from suicidal ideation. The goal is for them to gain self-awareness, use self-management techniques, develop interpersonal skills, and increase positive decision making to improve their overall level of functioning.

Il

I directed a summer camp of 75 campers ages 5-14, and I interviewed, hired, trained, and oversaw 10 staff. I planned and implemented weekly thematic units, including daily field trips to forest preserves, pools, and other exciting places. I also created a staff handbook, implemented a parent-orientation night, initiated CPR certification, trained staff on DCFS, and trained staff on campers with mental health issues. I also got my CDL and drove the bus every day.

I taught band and general music classes in public school to regular and special education students ages 3-18, and I taught in a special education building for students ages 3-21. I also created and implemented a "Music in Motion" program for 2-5 year olds at a local park district.

Master'S Degree, Clinical Counseling And School Counseling

Bachelor'S Degree, Music Education

Activities and Societies: Section Leader of the Marching Illini and Vice President of Mu Ph EpsilonSection Leader of the Marching Illini.