Elyssa Gottheim
Elyssa was born and raised in Houston. Deciding to try out life in the cold weather, Elyssa attended University of Michigan for undergrad and University of Chicago for grad school. After obtaining her LCSW {licensed clinical social worker}, Elyssa decided that she was not cut out for the cold and moved back to Houston in 2012. Shortly after her move, Elyssa met her husband, Paul. Elyssa and Paul have been married for 6 years and have two children – Henry {October 2018} and Josephine {March 2021}. After working in schools, hospitals, and community clinics, Elyssa currently has a private practice where she specializes in working with children, adolescents, young adults, and parents. When she isn’t working or chasing after her kids, Elyssa’s favorite activities can be described as the ultimate mom cliché – baking, working out, and napping. Elyssa is a huge fan of trying new restaurants and dining spots especially if it involves any form of dessert!
When does Self-Care Become Too Much of a Good Thing?
As a therapist, woman, mother, and all around human being surviving in this crazy world, I believe that self-care is essential. Self-care helps me to slow things down and relax when things around me...
Easy Halloween Snacks and Sweets Your Kids Will Love
I always wanted to be one of those moms that creates cute, themed snacks and crafts during the holidays. You know – the “Pinterest mom”. I did try to be a “Pinterest mom” once....
Meal Planning with Trader Joe’s
We first met post-college, Trader Joe's. I had never heard of you before, but all of my Midwest friends raved about you, singing your praises. When I first moved to Chicago, we connected immediately. ...
The Strengths of Strong-Willed Children
Stubborn, difficult, spirited, limit tester, intense, inquisitive, in charge, passionate, the boss. All of these are words used to describe a strong-willed child.
While all children have these tendencies or “moments”, a strong-willed child exhibits...
How to Be a “Good Enough” Mother
I am constantly telling my children “do your best” and “it’s ok to make mistakes”. I make sure they know that I don’t expect perfection from them and neither should they. However, I find...
Hot Mess Mama: How a Messy House Can Be A Good Thing
This is the tale of two houses. The house I live in when no one is around and the house I live when someone is about to step foot inside.
The house I live in...
Autism Awareness: The Voices of Acceptance and Inclusion
Here we are in April, which is Autism Awareness Month. But I am not here to make you aware of Autism. While you may not know the intricacies of the diagnosis, I feel fairly...
A Focus on the Positive: Hidden Benefits of the Past Two Years
I think we can all agree that Covid sucks. While masks and vaccines are a hotly debated topic, the fact that the pandemic has caused extraordinary inconvenience (to put it lightly) on everyone’s lives...
Why Making Mom Friends is Just Like Dating
Thirty minutes have passed and still no reply. My mind starts to race, looping in an endless circle.
They are probably just busy. Or maybe I read the signs wrong. They were just trying to...
Failure is Not a Four Letter Word
As an adult, I experience failure on a regular basis. Just the other day, I experienced it at least three times in the span of 24 hours. I say at least because let’s be...