Many times, parents only need to adjust their discipline, parent differently or form a stronger alliance with the other parent to see changes in their children.

In the early 1990’s, I created and implemented the Gwinnett Children’s Shelter’s Positive Parenting Program. This program offered low cost or no cost services to the community. I also taught parenting classes and provided individual and family therapy to county residents.

As parents, you are the greatest influence in your child’s life. Having taught parenting classes, having used these methods to raise my own children, and having the experience of using them both in schools and in social skills groups, has given me a depth of knowledge that has proven to be helpful to my clients. My go-to parenting strategy is outlined in the book Positive Discipline by Jane Nelsen, EdD. Natural and logical consequences provide the best form of learning for children, but every situation is different, and I am far from a “one size fits all” clinician.

When providing discipline to your child, it’s natural to have intense feelings. The word discipline comes from the word disciple, which means to teach. Providing discipline is a gift. You are preparing your child to live in the world, to handle disappointment and to treat others with respect.

There are also times when children may need a brief behavioral system, or a reinforcement system to help shape some particularly problematic behaviors like aggression, lying, enuresis and/or encopresis. Some challenging behaviors require an open minded and a well-versed therapist to collaborate and create a discipline system that works best for your family. Usually, most parents will use some combination of different parenting methods. Before using a behavioral intervention with your children, it’s important to have a basic knowledge of parenting methods as well as knowing the pros and cons of each method.