Dr. Alan E. Kazdin
The Kazdin Method® of Parenting
The New Year can be a time for new beginnings. For many of us, it is a time to resolve to do something differently. New Year's resolutions can be quite important because they can affect mental and physical health, social relations, and our satisfaction with life. You might be thinking about resolving to exercise more, [...]
In sessions, emphasize a team approach and how great it is that they are both attending sessions. Interrupt all arguing and blaming in session and prompt for only saying positive things about the other. Praise parents for remaining calm and saying positive things about each other in the session. Set up similar point charts in [...]
The Child First Principle Divorce and separation raises scores of challenges for parents and children. Also, situations can vary greatly from one family to the next. There are, however, some things you can do to make the process less stressful on your family. If your interactions with your former spouse or partner are all pleasant, [...]
Tackling a problem behavior at school can be overwhelming for us as clinicians. It is a long school day with many challenges and factors. The best way to work on school behaviors is to use a skill called shaping. Shaping is the process of changing a difficult or complex behavior by breaking it up into steps. [...]
Every new school year presents new challenges. One of the biggest and most dreaded is homework. Homework doesn't have to be a fight. Here are some tips to help get you and your child off to a happy homework place this year. Establish a distraction free zone to do homework. Choose and stick to an [...]
School activities are a huge departure from summer days filled with camp, trips, and late bed times. The transition back to school may not be easy for children or parents. As your child begins school, work on developing the routine and rituals of getting ready on time, having breakfast, and getting out the door for [...]
A family vacation is a great way to spend time together and make lasting memories. It can also be a recipe for disaster. Here are some tips to help make your vacation more enjoyable. Long car rides. A road trip is a popular way to get to your family vacation spot. Hours in the car, [...]
School is almost out and that can be a relief for many families. During the school months, getting children up and out of the house on time, making special arrangements for after school or sick days, getting homework done, and so on is hectic. Summer can be a welcome and valuable break from these struggles, but [...]
When families have disagreements or children challenge the rules, compromise can be an effective tool. Compromising involves discussing a problem between family members calmly. We suggest that you choose an easy problem to discuss at first while the family is still learning this skill. A more heated disagreement can be compromised later. The therapist should [...]
Many parents want to have their child participate in lessons or activities of some kind to learn a new skill or develop a competence. These can include lessons in one of the arts (dance, music) or sports (gymnastics, swimming, martial arts). These activities often represent challenges for parents including selecting which activity, managing transportation, encouraging [...]
