This site is written by the clinicians at Jonah Green and Associates, a mental health practice based in Kensington, MD that provides quality services for children, teens, families, and adults. It is intended as a resource for families who are seeking to expand their knowledge about mental health and mental health services, and also as a resource for families who are seeking quality mental health services, especially in the mid-Atlantic region. Please feel free to post questions and comments on any of the entries as well as on any topics or articles from our companion web site www.childandfamilymentalhealth.com.
Many parents have heard that “logical consequences” are an effective parenting tool. Perhaps because the word “consequence” is often misused as a synonym for “punishment”, some parents express confusion as to the nature of logical consequences, how to apply them, and their purpose. The following questions and answers offer some clarity. Read more »
Please enjoy this guest post–a clear and very practical piece written written by Jennifer Kogan, LICSW, who provides counseling and support for parents at her office in NW DC.
What is a parent to do when the kids start fighting?
For parents to answer that question, it can help to look back at our own relationships with our siblings. Can you remember your parents yelling at you both to “stop fighting and get along,” or being ordered to, “go to your room” or perhaps being spanked? Did any of these methods work to help you get along better with your sibling? Most likely they did not.
One thing you can do that is different from what our parents may have tried is to pick up a copy of the book, Siblings Without Rivalry by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish. Both Faber and Mazlish were parents of young children thirty years ago. They participated and wrote about the lessons they learned in a parenting group they were in led by the renowned child psychiatrist, Dr. Haim Ginott. Read more »
It’s mid-August, and believe it or not, soon your child will be transitioning back to school! The following ideas m toight be able ease the transition. Many of the suggestions are adapted from Robin Allen, PhD., a behavior specialist and parent educator in Montgomery County, Maryland. Read more »
The Child and Family Mental Health blog is pleased to present a guest post from Lindsey Hoskins, Ph.D., LCMFT, the founder and principal of Lindsey Hoskins and Associates, a couple and family therapy practice in Bethesda, MD. We hope this post helps you and your partner spice up your summer. Enjoy! Read more »
Your children’s weekly allowance can provide an important opportunity to teach the values that are salient in your family. It is wise to think through as parents how much money you want your children to have, as well as how you want to do it, so that the experience becomes a learning one for them. The noun, “value,” is defined as worth, importance and appeal. Allowance provides children a chance to gain an understanding about monetary value, as well as ethical and moral values. And the lessons do not have to be taught through parental lectures. The beauty of weekly allowance is that the learning is experiential.
There are many ways to be creative about allowance. Here are some of the values that can be reinforced in the process: Read more »
You might have heard of the task where a candy bar is placed in front of a child to see if he or she can refrain from eating it for a period of time in order to obtain a better reward later on. How do children develop the skills needed to regulate themselves so that they can delay their satisfaction? The ability to regulate emotions is influenced by biological processes (e.g., temperament) as well as social learning. Regulating emotions is a process in which children monitor, evaluate, and change their emotional experience in order to meet their goals. If a child has a goal of eating a candy bar immediately, and believes that delaying eating it will cause pain, he or she may eat the candy bar in order to avoid the anticipated feeling of being upset. Alternatively, if the child believes that the anticipated reward might cause greater joy, then he or she may implement strategies to control an immediate response. Read more »
Parents take it for granted that children know how to breathe. We don’t typically hover over every breath, coaxing and directing. And yet, children breathe in and out all day, all on their own. When it comes to eating, we have a harder time trusting our children.
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