Recently, I worked with a former student who is now a freshman at the University of Maryland. This student has always been conscientious, organized, and diligent, but one class — a philosophy seminar — was vexing her. When I asked why, she explained she didn’t understand the assignments, and couldn’t seem to get ahold of the teacher.

My boyfriend “Jared” and I met at camp and have always been really great friends. During my last year of high school, we decided to make things official, even though he lived two hours away in Pennsylvania. Our relationship has mostly consisted of long phone calls, FaceTiming, and lots of texts, but I try to visit him as much as possible.

The arrival of 2019 means registration deadlines are looming for the upcoming school year. Whether they are enrolling a child in school for the first time, making the jump from middle to high school, or choosing between public and private school, all parents wonder: How do I make the right choice?

We have previously discussed the importance of articulating our wishes for our own care, particularly in the form of an advanced medical directive. An important part of that process is for us to think through what gives us joy, comfort, and satisfaction. How can we still maintain quality of life when our abilities start to become limited? And how can we plan now to maintain that quality of life in the future?

These are common scams that happen throughout the year but which escalate during the holiday season. The Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) has the following tips and alerts:

Major depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States. In 2016, it was estimated that 16.2 million adults and 3.1 million adolescents in the U.S. had experienced at least one major depressive episode that year.

Have a question for Rivkie? Email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . 

Dear Rivkie,

 The Tu B’Shvat holiday (the new year for trees) is coming up soon and I promised myself last year that I would give some thought as to how to celebrate this year. I see a Tu B’Shvat seder advertised sometimes, and people who are deeply into environmental causes seem to have a real affinity for this holiday, but neither of those things are my jam. Can you explain what Tu B’Shvat is and give some suggestions for how I can mark this day in a way I can relate to?

David (name changed) was a sweet and somewhat shy 6-year-old boy, who started therapy with me after an adolescent male babysitter had sexually abused him. During one of our early sessions, I showed him a tray filled with sand, as well as a large array of figurines, toys, objects, and props that he could use to build an imaginary world in the sand. He proceeded to retrieve any plastic play animal that he could find in my collection, and arranged them in the sand tray in a rather random fashion. When he was done with this, he surveyed the scene and then, while looking concerned, stated, “No, that’s no good because the wild animals will eat the gentle ones.”

Have a question for Rivkie? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . 

Dear Rivkie,

YouTube tells you it’s all frat parties, slip n’ slides, and endless spring breaks. Your older brother tells you it’s endless studying, 8 a.m. classes, and searching for internships. What’s the real deal about college? What do you wish you knew before you started?