Do Rewards Actually Work?
In 1993, a book titled “Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes” hit the shelves of [...]
“Mom! He’s Breathing Too Loud!” A Parent’s Guide to Sibling Squabbles
I grew up in northern Virginia, referred to by us locals as Nova. If you have ever visited Nova during the summer, you will never [...]
School Refusal: A Five Step Playbook
In movies, we often see the following scene unfold: A parent walks their child to the bus stop, exchanging smiles, laughs and googly-eyed glances [...]
Therapies that Work: A Cheat Sheet for Parents
Last spring while providing a behavioral health workshop to a group of pediatric medical providers, a pediatrician lamented to me how hard it can [...]
Beyond the Blues: Three Subtle Signs of Childhood Depression
Imagine you are the parent of Sofie, a 7-year-old girl who almost always seems happy and carefree. She loves to play with her younger [...]
Top 10 Movies Every Teenager Should See (according to a biased child psychologist)
I absolutely love movies - like, really love them. Not only because they are entertaining and fun (the good ones at least). I love [...]
Helping Your Child Stay in Bed
In the late 1990’s, a child psychologist and researcher in the midwest was struggling to balance being both a clinician and the mother of [...]
Five Signs a Child Needs Therapy
Therapy is not always the answer. Yup, that’s how I’m choosing to lead an article promoting therapy. Over the past few years there has [...]
Five Ways to Lead a Child with ADHD
Of all the ways I have heard attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) described, Russel Barkley’s (2020) description is my personal favorite. A leading expert [...]
Start Planting Grass instead of Whacking Weeds
Some years ago during my clinical training, I was tasked with giving a case presentation to the entire clinic. As I fumbled over my [...]