As a child psychotherapist, I work with children who are incredibly gifted — but sometimes their low grades do not reflect their intelligence. Inadequate study space is one of the most overlooked reasons for poor academic performance. If your child fails to prepare for exams, fails to turn in assignments, or fails to meet other crucial deadlines — then reexamine their home study space. Is it disorganized? Full of screen distractions? Loud? Physically uncomfortable? Internet issues?   As COVID continues to impact students, now is an ideal time for creating a study space that motivates ki ..read more

How to help a child with low self-esteem In this episode, I talk about low self-esteem in children. One of the most common mistakes I see when parents are wondering how to help a child with low self-esteem is to focus too much on TALK. Counseling, self-improvement, and therapy often focus too much on “positive self-talk.” Things like looking in the mirror and proclaiming, “I AM WONDERFUL! I AM EXCEPTIONAL!” I want to be clear that positive self-talk can be very helpful, especially for people who are highly critical of themselves and severely depressed. However, talk is not enough. I ha ..read more

Learn how to clear your mind of negative thoughts, so that you can teach your children how to get out of a negative headspace too. Learning how to clear your mind of negative thoughts takes practice. In this episode, I provide the best tips for how to get rid of unwanted thoughts. Learning ways to get out of a negative headspace is one of the best life skills you can teach your children.   “Never put a period on a negative thought.” — Henry Winkler  How to Clear Your Mind of Negative Thoughts: Two Techniques Below, notice that both options require you must first “catch” the thought ..read more

  Parents, if you haven’t listened to this episode (and Part 2 with Coach Mo), then I strongly encourage you to take some time to really focus on what you’re hearing. This is an eye-opening conversation on so many levels. Prior to George Floyd, I sadly admit that I never fully understood the extent of my “white privilege.” I certainly didn’t understand the experiences of black men in America; I still will never be able to relate. But I’m so ready to listen, learn, grow, and have meaningful conversations.   Make sure to also listen to Part 2 of my conversation with Coach Mo.  Y ..read more

. As we enter the unknown world of remote learning, parents must step up and fill in the gaps that virtual school cannot fulfill. Don’t make the mistake of just focusing on your child’s grades and academic progress. This episode is a good reminder for parents to take an active role in creating structure in these odd times… for the sake of your children’s mental and physical well-being. MOST is an acronym that I discuss in detail in this episode - how parents can make sure their children are getting the MOST out of remote learning: Prior to Covid, external motivating factors forced children t ..read more

Addressing lifestyle is usually the best place to start when youth are struggling emotionally or academically. We all must go back to the basics when we are feeling off. Watch this video. It’s less than ten minutes and parents often tell me that it’s the reminder they need… that sometimes gets lost in today’s modern world. As a therapist with 13+ years of experience working with children and their families, I developed five easy parenting tips for parents who want to help children adopt healthier lifestyles. That video is just a segment of the podcast episode devoted to getting back to the ba ..read more

As a therapist, I get asked about anger issues in children. Parents want to understand the causes for an easily frustrated and angry child. When I give presentations, some of the most common questions are: “Why is my son so angry with me?” or “Why is my daughter so angry with me?” It’s normal for angry toddlers to throw tantrums and it’s normal for teenagers to lash out with harsh words. But I want parents to understand that anger in children is usually a secondary emotion. That’s the first step to understanding all angry kids — from angry toddlers to angry teenagers. Anger in Children is a S ..read more

Listen to my in-depth podcast that deals with the best way to handle angry teenagers for long-term success:  How to Handle Behavior Problems in Angry Teenagers When I get a call from a school to give a presentation, they usually request a specific behavior they want me to talk about: “Nick, can you come to our school and talk about the dangers of vaping? Can you talk about teenagers with bad attitudes? Can you talk about the dangers of marijuana? Can you talk about self-harm? Can you talk about how to use social media in moderation? Can you talk about procrastination? Can you talk about ..read more

  Initially, the phrase “executive functioning skills” intimidated me because I wasn’t quite sure what it meant. I heard people say they had “executive functioning coaches,” and I just thought,  “whoa what’s that?” When we don’t understand something, it can be intimidating. My goal is to help you demystify executive functioning skills and then give you some ways to figure out how to improve executive functioning skills in your own life and your children’s lives. So the first step is jump in and have a better understanding of what people mean when they say executive functioning.  ..read more

This is Part 1 of 2. Relationship advice for teens is not easy to give out. Young “love” often doesn’t want to hear anything negative about their newfound blossoming romance. Toxic love, however, is dangerous. Young people need to know that “puppy love” can morph into toxic relationships. Dating violence awareness is more important than ever. The warning signs might start small, but they develop into an unhealthy relationship. In this episode, I discuss troubling patterns and warning signs. I recommend printing out this sheet and having a good sit-down with your teenager to let them know what ..read more