Getting Respect from others is something everybody strives for. We want to be respected for what we bring to the table. Or we at least want to be treated with respect and courtesy. You have to give in order to receive, but what do you do if you don’t get respect in return. People Engage […]
Category: Parenting
During the teenage years, teenagers go through a lot of changes, both physical and emotional. When you see your teenager’s behavior changing, it’s easy to become worried that they seem depressed. Worse still, you might be worried your teenage seems depressed enough to hurt themselves. Is My Teenager Depressed? Some of the common behavior changes […]
In my Grand Rapids counseling office, I see a lot of stressed out teens who worry about their futures. They try to get the best grades they can and do all sorts of extracurricular actives to create a portfolio that will impress colleges. They worry about not getting into the right college and ruining their […]
Talking to teenagers effectively is a critical skill when guiding them make healthy decisions for themselves. When I was a school social worker, providing counseling for teenagers, I worked with young children, ages 5 to 8 years old. These were easy kids to work with because they liked seeing the social worker and enjoyed counseling. […]
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Parenting Skills: Teach them to Be Safe
Most parents spend a fair amount of time wondering if their parenting skills are the right ones. I tend to be a protective parent, trying to make sure I keep my young son out of harm’s way and protect him from harmful people. However, when he went to a week long summer camp this month, […]
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Parenting Strategies for Young Kids
In my Grand Rapids counseling office, I counsel lots of parents who want to develop moreeffective discipline and parenting strategies. One of the simplest strategies that works well for parenting young kids is the 1-2-3 Magic program designed by Dr. Thomas Phelan. I have used it with my own son and have recommended it to hundreds of […]
This is a Love and Logic strategy I incorporate in counseling for teenagers and helping parents use discipline for teenagers. If you’re not familiar with Love and Logic, do a google search and you’ll find tons of books and videos available. Teenagers have a tendency to screw up and do things they shouldn’t or fail to do […]
Below is an article written by a married woman who caught herself criticizing her husband over trivial things rather than focusing on his positive qualities. It was ruining her relationship. She realized her attitude toward him was causing him to feel unloved, unvalued, and basically treated like a child. In her case, her husband had […]
As a therapist who works with lots of teenagers, I often talking about successful parenting skills. I often caution parents about not letting their kids spend too much time playing video games or playing on iPhones. However, over the past couple of years, it seems just as important to remind parents about their own screen […]