Introduction Pat Harvey and Jeanine Penzo, both licensed clinical social workers, have a book called Parenting a Child Who Has Intense Emotions. It’s a book that I have been enthusiastically recommending to parents who are confronting this difficulty. The book teaches Dialectical Behavioral Therapy skills, established by Marsha Linehan for treating adults. These skills help [...]
Parenting an Anxious Child can seem like a daunting task. Many parents bring their children to therapy who are struggling with anxiety or mood swings. This is a great first step! Very often, children with Anxiety or Depression are dealing with a difficult transition, an illness, or are having a school issue. As a result, [...]
The book Mindset The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck, differentiates between two mindsets. It shows us how this matters in our own individual lives as well as in sports, business, and relationships. She explains that the view that you maintain profoundly affects the way that you lead your life. People with a fixed [...]
“The Answer is No”, subtitled “Saying it and sticking to it” by Cynthia Whitman, MSW, was published in 1994 but is still available at online booksellers. Is the book out-of-date? Well, it doesn’t have anything to say about iPhones, but if you have a child from two to twelve years old and need inspiration and [...]
Does your child have a hard time making and keeping friends? Have you noticed he or she may be overly shy and anxious about meeting new kids? There are many causes of poor social interaction, yet there are plenty of solutions to help! A social skills training group is ideal for helping children improve their social [...]
Parents and Teenagers need to have a comphrensive understaning of each other. Having an understanding of how a teenager’s emotions develop can give parents useful strategies to better parent and avoid a situation from elevating. Using the scenario below, we can analyze how a teenager’s emotions develop and figure out a way to retell the [...]
Parenting a teenager is a time that proves to be difficult for many. Parents face obstacles with their children as they grow older, and let's face it, children don't come with an instruction manual. At some point when children reach the age of 11 or 12, many parents begin to stress over the upcoming and [...]
Many parents struggle with determining the most effective way to respond when their child is distressed and provide validation. Sometimes what might feel like the best response can actually make the situation worse. The scenario below highlights such a situation: David is 15 years old and later his parents have noticed him acting out in [...]
It's the time of year when some kids are getting ready for some serious time looking at their screens, meaning that they intend to play video games and/or watch Youtube or TV for many hours each day. This leads to much frustration on the part of parents, at times leading to some screaming and yelling at [...]
10 Quick Back to School Relief Tips For Parents and Kids Summer is coming to a close and even if kids want to forget that school exists, you can’t miss all the ‘School Day Sales’ signs in stores. There are several ways to ease the transition: 1. Talk to your child about going to school. [...]