I was working with a dad who was beside himself struggling to set limits with his 14-year-old daughter. He and his daughter’s mother were divorced, and his former wife had a very laissez-faire attitude towards raising kids. While Dad wanted his daughter to do her homework, come home at a decent time, have dinner with […]
Continue readingCategory Archives: Articles
For Therapists, Coaches, and Mental Health Professionals: When You’re Stuck in the Power Struggle Too
Therapists, Coaches, and Mental Health Professionals: Have you ever sat with a client and felt the power struggle happening in the room — not just in their family, but between you and the case itself? Here’s a message from Esther Krohner at Brief Therapy Center + an invitation to my Masterclass: Creative Brief Therapy in […]
Continue reading
Understanding Your Teen’s Temperament
Some people are more emotionally sensitive than others and may tend to react more quickly or intensely. Some may be naturally competitive and inclined to “win” an interaction. Childrearing experts Ron Taffel and Melinda Blau, in their excellent book, Nurturing Good Children Now, present an illuminating section on individual temperament and how it affects children and […]
Continue reading
Parent-Teen Control Battle Assessment
Want a quick way to evaluate where you stand in the Control Battle? Download and fill out this assessment to get a better sense of your relationship. If parenting a teenager feels like you’re constantly bracing for the next argument—about chores, homework, curfews, attitudes, or “just asking a question”—you’re not alone. Many parents assume this […]
Continue reading
Mental Health Spending is 40% of Child and Teen Health Spending
A recent article in Medical Press cited a recent study showing that 40% of children’s health expenditures are for behavioral health, a near doubling of that percentage in the last 10 years. The study looks at the cost to consumers and the need for access to services, but what the heck is going on? Why […]
Continue reading
Happy Thanksgiving
I want to wish you a most Happy Thanksgiving. This is a time to give thanks, be grateful, and share time and a special meal with friends and family. Unfortunately, illness and loss don’t take breaks for holidays so we need to make space for those within our close circle and outside of our circle […]
Continue reading
Radical Positivity: A Parenting Tool to Inspire Lasting Change in Your Teens
Here’s a tidbit, a powerful tidbit I might add, that will be key to your successful journey of helping your youth back on a healthy path forward. I’m calling it Radical Positivity. A Brief Explanation If we want our youth to change their behavior; limit their time on devices, work harder in school, join in […]
Continue reading
Memorial Day Tribute and the Beginning of Summer
Memorial Day is really a celebration with one purpose and two meanings. It was established as Decoration Day in 1868 to honor Union Soldiers who died in the Civil War and eventually came to honor all soldiers who died in American wars. Many of us have relatives and friends who died in wars and this […]
Continue reading
Dealing With Our Challenging Times
Lately it seems staying in my lane and focusing on the challenges of family life with teenagers and young adults is difficult with all the disruption in our country and related to that, the disruption around the world. For many parents, the importance and challenges of raising their families takes up 80% of their brain […]
Continue reading
Spring Cleaning and Benevolent Parental Authority
When we were a more primitive society, a hunting and gathering society, kids and teens participated with the adults in various community activities and that way learned adult functions. In our more “advanced” society today, kids and teens do activities very separately from the adults. The result is that kids and teens end up not […]
Continue reading