Oppositional & Defiant Behavior in Children & Teens

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a behavioral issue most often diagnosed in childhood. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) lists it in the category of ... Read More

If you pay close attention to social media, music messages, and news trends, you’d be forgiven for thinking disrespectful and rude behavior from children and adolescents is on the rise. ... Read More

Thank you for your question, which sounds like just about every parent’s nightmare—one that’s more common than you might think. For me, the key to the answer is in your last two questions. ... Read More

As a family therapist, I have helped families work with benign issues, such as a teens refusing to clean their rooms, as well as extreme ones, such as revelations of sexual abuse. One ... Read More

Many years ago, before I had children, I worked with a parent who confided that she would sometimes get so frustrated with her baby that she fantasized about throwing him out the window. ... Read More

Being a good parent can be difficult. We are never really taught how to raise children effectively, and generally tend to repeat behaviors we have learned from our own parents. If we grew ... Read More

It’s a commonly held belief that while our parents’ generation failed to pay enough attention to our thoughts and feelings as children, our generation cares too much about our children’s ... Read More

The refrain is familiar. Frazzled parents enter my office and are at a loss as to how to handle the intense emotions of their child. “He goes from zero to 60 in no time flat,” they ... Read More

During healthy development, children learn that the people around them are mostly safe and trustworthy. Even when they do not get what they want, they eventually learn to self-soothe in ... Read More

Father and son sitting on a park bench As parents, we frequently focus on learning how best to “discipline” our children. Yet I find the greatest challenge in learning how to be, as ... Read More

When I work with parents of teenagers, our conversations inevitably turn toward discipline. “How do get my teen to follow the rules?” “My teen won’t clean up after himself. What ... Read More

“Discipline just doesn’t work for my child! We have tried everything and nothing works!” Does this sound familiar? Are you frustrated that timeouts, positive reinforcement, or even ... Read More