Category: Mental Health Resources

4 Ways to Understand Excessive Crying in Infants and Help Parents Few sounds work on a parent’s nervous system the way an infant’s cry does. And few questions frustrate parents and teachers more than the...

One sentence from 1968 gives parents the standard they need — and the right to demand it. When your child is diagnosed with autism and you begin an ABA program, a question quickly follows: how...

Empathy and Consequences Are Not Mutually Exclusive Gentle parenting has drawn significant scrutiny in the press and in the research literature. Critics on Psychology Today and elsewhere have noted the movement’s reliance on idealized standards...

When Punishment Becomes a Reward and 3 Ways to Fix That In the world of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), what matters most is the data. So many parents use verbal redirections — often born of anger...

Terms "Positive" & "Negative" in Applied Behavioral Analysis When we use consequence to increase (a reward) or decrease (a punishment) a behavior, we almost always add the term negative or the term positive: for example,...

What is a Reward? Rewards, as a concept in ABA, is anything that increases the chance of behavior to occur again.  Sometimes we call this a reinforcement. Many ABA approaches define rewards into four categories....

Therapists Confess: Ten Parenting Tips We Actually Use As behavior therapists, we have a library full of books and research articles that tout parenting best practices. We’ve coached live time-outs, given lectures on ways to...

Imagine a wave of fear crashing over you out of nowhere. Your heart races, your body trembles, and your breaths grow short. It feels as if you’re losing control or, even worse, that something terrible...

Imagine a world where everyday places—like the school cafeteria, a shopping mall, or even a crowded concert—feel like an overwhelming maze of anxiety. For those with agoraphobia, the fear of certain places or situations can...

Specific phobias are more than just fleeting fears—they’re intense, often overwhelming anxieties tied to specific objects or situations. For teens and young adults, these phobias can create invisible barriers, limiting experiences and daily activities. Imagine...

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a challenging mental health condition that can make daily life overwhelming for teens and young adults. Imagine a constant, nagging worry that something terrible might happen. It’s like having a distressing...

Performance anxiety, sometimes called “stage fright” or “test anxiety,” is a form of anxiety that arises when individuals face situations where they must perform or meet specific expectations. This anxiety can occur in academic, social,...

Social anxiety disorder, commonly known as social phobia, extends beyond mere shyness or occasional nervousness. It manifests as an intense, persistent fear of social situations, leading individuals to avoid interactions that are integral to personal...

Separation anxiety, often associated with young children, can also significantly impact adolescents. When the fear of being apart from loved ones persists beyond early childhood, it may indicate Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD), a condition that...

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a prevalent mental health condition characterized by persistent and excessive worry about various aspects of daily life. Unlike typical anxiety that arises in response to specific situations, GAD involves ongoing...