The #1 Calm Down Strategy Most Parents Overlook It seems counterintuitive, but the one of the first things I teach parents is how you can recognize and care for yourself before we work on addressing your child’s behavior. Parents often think “If I can just get my kid’s behavior under control, THEN I can finally […]
I know I have been writing a fair amount about working with children lately, but I also work with teens, and I wanted to share a concern that their parents often have. We all know teens are raging with hormones that are super confusing, but that doesn’t make it any less hurtful when they jump […]
Most parents we speak to feel stuck with their teen’s big feelings, because when they try to help problem solve their met with “you don’t get it!” or “that’s not gonna work!” It can feel like you’re just trying to keep your head from being bitten off. When teens share their frustration or their worry, […]
When parents feel like their goals for their teen don’t match up with their teen’s, it can get tricky. Another holiday has passed, and parents could be struggling to see how they can help their teen get it together for the second half of the school year. We speak with parents who have tried holding […]
We hear from parents all the time that their teen “doesn’t talk” to them. Parents say when they ask their teen about their day, they hear “fine” but they’re certain that’s not the case. The dagger-like stares, the irritability and short temper say opposite. It can be so challenging to know when to press on, […]
We hear from parents all the time that they work hard to support their teen to use their coping skills only to be met with this stuck feeling that the skill won’t actually calm their teen down. This can be scary for parents whose teens are struggling with dark thoughts. The truth is, deep breaths […]
When your teen is struggling, the last thing you want to do is let them figure it out on their own. But when your suggestions are met with refusal, frustration, and your teen yelling that you don’t get it, you can feel helpless. You might even hear from others that this is what parenting a […]
We often hear from parents who say their child is reportedly a “perfect angel” at school, holding it all in and then exploding at home. If your Highly Sensitive child or teen clamps their lid on tight like a pressure cooker, explosive behavior is likely to show up at home often. Highly Sensitive kids and […]
Parents often ask how to deal with the meltdowns after school, most specifically how to stop a meltdown. Makes sense, the emotional bombs after school are unreal, and you know your kid is not just hangry. This isn’t a Snicker’s commercial! This is a critical mistake. Searching for a magic wand (or 10) to use […]
When teens meet with our therapists, skeptical about whether or not we can help, one of the first things we agree on is a no-blame policy. This is one of the core assumptions we teach here in DBT. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a structured, skills-based therapy that teaches your teen to accept themselves as […]