BPS Blog
Welcome to the BPS Blog.
Here you will find numerous articles, videos, and useful information…
Structured Activity Rewards: Clinical Case Studies
When I first introduce the idea of using a type of behavior modification, parents often dismiss it by saying, “We’ve already tried that and it doesn’t work; what else have you got?” This is because there are several common pitfalls that will effectively sabotage a...
Grief and Loss in Parenting
By Miki Fire, Psy.D. Clinical Psychologist As a relatively new parent, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on the experience of this new role. Like many of you, my experience in parenting has come with some unbelievable moments of joy; the feeling of holding your...
How To Motivate Teenagers
by: Ryan Dawson, MA, LPC If you are like many parents, you have at times experienced difficulty motivating your teen for school, chores, family outings, following simple instructions, being nice to their siblings, doing homework, limiting screen time, etc. It's a...
Feel Empathy To Create the Power of Connection
By Jeremy Dion, Licensed Professional Counselor My 7-year-old daughter came home from school the other day and told me that she just had the “worst day of her life.” To be fair, this is not exactly an uncommon routine in our household, and we average two to three...
Parenting Styles: How To Deal With Differences
By Kat Austin, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Parenting is hard. Each parent and each family approaches parenting in a different way, and parents often subscribe to different parenting styles. Parenting styles develop from reasons such as how we were raised as...
Helping Children Regulate Feelings and Emotions
Supporting your child Click to download handout
Family Communication Handout
Family Communication Handout
Secret Stash: Where Young Adults Hide Drugs
(23 places young adults hide drugs: a “Where’s Waldo for clueless parents) Posted by: Linda Cain, MSED At Risk Alternatives, L.L.C. Finding Options Supporting Success 1. Hidden behind things on shelves 2. Hidden in a slit cut into my mattress 3. Hidden in custom sewn...
Families in Transition
Is Your Family Struggling To Adapt To A Change Within Your Family System? Is your family struggling to adjust to a significant family transition, such as a new baby, new developmental stages for your children, adolescent angst or launching a teenager? Is this new...
What I say before I even open my mouth:
The value and importance of understanding non-verbal communication By Rachael Bonaiuto, LPC ”The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said.” --Peter F. Drucker Why Non-Verbal Communication? The World English Dictionary defines nonverbal...
Strategies for Parenting the Older Adolescent
Steering Versus Fueling By Dan Fox, LPC Let’s use the metaphor of life as a car. If your daughter’s life was a car, when she’s little, it’s your job to steer. We’ve got to keep them safe, provide a rational structure, help them when they are stuck emotionally or...
Understanding the Common Challenges of Adopted Children
By Karen Wilding, LCSW To begin with, I am an adopted child. I was adopted in the 40’s in a closed adoption, but I believe that although adoption has changed since the 40’s to having many more open, family and foreign adoptions, there are issues that...
Strategic Parenting for a Successful School Year
A new school year presents a new opportunity to develop a game plan for the academic year that yields positive results for your student(s) as well as your family. Quite often, a stressor for one family member tends to have an impact on everyone; a parent’s new job, a...
Considering Medication for Your Child’s Psychological Issues
Q: Some parents I know seem in a rush to have their children go on medication for things like depression and hyperactivity. What should parents do before making the jump to medication? A: For psychological disorders, a thoughtful and accurate diagnosis is key to...
Helping Your Teen Have a Successful Summer
Q; How can I help my adolescent have a fun, productive, and safe summer? A: Summers can be a unique challenge for parents of adolescents. On the one hand we want to honor their desire for making more of their own decisions regarding summer activities, as the shift to...
Helping Your Child Transition to Adolescence
Q: How can I help my soon-to-be middle school child adjust to adolescence? A: Just when we start to figure out effective parenting techniques, the onset of adolescence makes a lot of what we do as parents obsolete. If our parenting and discipline strategies do not...
Self-Harm Behavior
By Dr. Jan Hittelman "My 13-year-old daughter is a cutter. She also smokes. I have done everything I can to stop her, but she did it again last night and I took her to the emergency room. On the way home, I asked her what I could do to help her stop cutting. She said...
Screen Time Addiction
Q: How do I know when my child is spending too much time on the computer or playing video games? A: As more people engage in high tech recreation, there are increasing concerns regarding the effects of these activities and the potential harm of excessive computer and...
Dealing with a Difficult Teacher
Q: What's a parent to do? Your child confides in you about a teacher's behavior in the classroom, but expects you to keep silent about comments/actions that are demeaning, hurtful, even abusive. How does one bridge not wanting to speak forth for fear of reprisal on a...
Helping Your Child Transition from the Summer Back to School
By Dr. Jan Hittelman Q: After the summer break, what are some suggestions on transitioning my student from a more laid back summer schedule to a school routine and avoiding the chaos that comes with early weeks of school? A: Much like the calendar year, the school...
Addressing Teen Sleep Issues
By Dr. Jan Hittelman Q: I've read your columns encouraging a later start time for high schoolers, as well as health reports regarding teenagers' sleep patterns. Do you think this is a serious enough concern that parents should be speaking out to BVSD about the matter?...
Dangers of Alcohol Poisoning
By Dr. Jan Hittelman Q: I had a disturbing conversation with a friend about a parent's experience with alcohol poisoning. The child had already been in trouble with the police, over alcohol use; and had passed out drunk again, when the parent was called to pick up the...
Addressing Alcohol Use in Teens
Q: What objective evidence is there that absolute prohibitions against alcohol in the home reduce teenage drinking vs. a European approach of drinking moderate amounts, such as wine at dinner? Secondly, how do researches reliably measure rates of teenage drinking?...
Homework Battles
By Dr. Jan Hittelman Q: My son is 9 years old. He is quite competitive, yet shy and sensitive in many ways. He gets angry when I help him with his homework or correct his mistakes. I fear he is not getting a good education because of this "dance" we do around trying...
Empowering Middle School Youth
By Dr. Jan Hittelman Q: My child is in middle school and not interested in doing the daylong-supervised activities that worked so well in elementary school. How do I balance my need to provide him with safety and structure during break with his desire to relax and be...
Sandy Hook Elementary: Our Shared Trauma
By Dr. Jan Hittelman Hearing about the unimaginable tragedy at Sandy Hook and the profound impact that it has had on all of us, reminded me of another national calamity during my childhood; the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. While I was only seven...
Importance of After School Activities
By Dr. Jan Hittelman After the school day has ended, it is estimated that 40 percent of young people’s time is often unstructured, unsupervised, and unproductive (Carnegie, 1992). Several studies have documented increases in a variety of at-risk behaviors for youth...
Helping Your Adolescent Learn Self-Control
By Dr. Jan Hittelman As a parent, getting through your child's adolescent years can be tough. The good news is that there are effective strategies that can help you to dramatically reduce conflicts and avoid potentially hostile confrontations. Instead of fighting over...
“Just Saying No” Is Only the Beginning
By Dr. Jan Hittelman Being an effective parent can feel like a real uphill battle. This can be particularly true when our children are adolescents. A major challenge for parents of adolescents is that their developmental tasks include shifting from dependence to...
Leading Teens to Counseling
By Dr. Jan Hittelman Q: How do I get my unwilling teenager to talk to someone, such as a therapist? Sign me, Concerned Mom A: The pivotal challenge in creating getting your teen to meet with a counselor is getting them to willingly attend the initial session. Who...