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Play Therapy Introduction Video
Children and Teen Book Recommendations
Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay
From the Inside Flap
“This is as close to an owner’s manual for parents that you will find. Now, parents can embrace mistakes as wonderful learning opportunities to raise respectful, responsible, and caring children.” –Gloria Sherman, M.A., LPC, Counselor Zemmer Jr. High, Lapeer, Michigan Parenting with Love & Logic is an essential component for our students, parents, and teachers. For the last fourteen years, thousands of families in our school district have been positively impacted by Love & Logic principles.” –Leonard R. Rezmierski, Ph.D., Superintendent, Northville Public Schools Parenting with Love and Logic is a MUST for every parent in America! This is the most useful book I’ve ever read. This stuff really works! My kids use this stuff on me, their peers, and their teachers! That’s how I know it really works!” –Lorynda Sampson, Colorado Teacher of the Year, 2003 “For almost twenty years, I have been delighted to share the powerful, yet simple wisdom of Jim Fay and Foster Cline with my counseling clients. The principles in Parenting with Love and Logic are practical, proven techniques that keep parents on track to raising responsible, loving, confident children.” –Carol R. Cole, Ph.D., LMFT Parenting with Love and Logic is a terrific book for parents that provide important concepts and practical solutions to help children become emotionally, socially, and morally healthy.” –Terry M. Levy, PhD, co-director Evergreen Psychotherapy Center, Coauthor Attachment, Trauma and Healing This book gives parents the tools to build a lifelong relationship based on respect, empathy, appreciation, and love. Parenting with Love and Logic teaches kids how to think and problem-solve from a very young age.” –Stephanie Bryan, Clinical Social Worker and Parent Coach, www.REALparenting.net This hilariously entertaining guidebook to working with children contains practical and easy-to-apply principles for both the home and the classroom.” –Larry Anderson, Parent and Educator
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlis
The ultimate “parenting bible” (The Boston Globe) with a new Foreword—and available as an eBook for the first time—a timeless, beloved book on how to effectively communicate with your child from the #1 New York Times bestselling authors.
Internationally acclaimed experts on communication between parents and children, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish “are doing for parenting today what Dr. Spock did for our generation” (Parent Magazine). Now, this bestselling classic includes fresh insights and suggestions as well as the author’s time-tested methods to solve common problems and build foundations for lasting relationships, including innovative ways to:
· Cope with your child’s negative feelings, such as frustration, anger, and disappointment
· Express your strong feelings without being hurtful
· Engage your child’s willing cooperation
· Set firm limits and maintain goodwill
· Use alternatives to punishment that promote self-discipline
· Understand the difference between helpful and unhelpful praise
· Resolve family conflicts peacefully
Enthusiastically praised by parents and professionals around the world, the down-to-earth, respectful approach of Faber and Mazlish makes relationships with children of all ages less stressful and more rewarding.
Your Two-Year-Old: Terrible or Tender by Louise Bates Ames
Are two-year-olds really so terrible, or does the world have a slightly skewed view of this sometimes difficult, sometimes adorable lot? Drs. Ames and Ilg, recognized worldwide as authorities on child behavior and development, offer parents practical advice and enlightening psychological insights on children this age.
What are two-year-old girls and boys thinking and feeling? How do they see others around them? With humor and compassion, the authors describe the general characteristics of these complex toddlers: their physical growth trends, their emotional and psychological maturation. Also included are insights into how two-year-olds behave with family and other children, and advice on how to handle them, as well as tings to avoid.
Included in this book:
• A two-year-old’s view of the world—and himself
• Bath and dressing routines
• Sex differences
• Stories from real life
• A list of age-appropriate toys and books
• A bibliography for parents
“Louise Bates Ames and her colleagues synthesize a lifetime of observation of children, consultation, and discussion with parents. These books will help parents to better understand their children and will guide them through the fascinating and sometimes trying experiences of modern parenthood.”—Donald J. Cohen, M.D., Director, Yale Child Study Center, Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology, Yale School of Medicine
Your Three-Year-Old: Friend or Enemy by Louise Bates Ames
A three-year-old is a real puzzle to parents, sometimes anxious to please and befriend, sometimes strong-willed and difficult to get along with. At the heart of the three-year-old’s personality is often an emotional insecurity—and this causes a host of problems for parents! Drs. Ames and Ilg, recognized authorities on child behavior and development, help parents understand what’s going on inside that three-year-old head, what problems children have, and how to cope with the toddler who is sometimes friend, sometimes enemy.
Included in this book:
• Jealousy of a new sibling
• Toilet training
• How to improve a child’s eating habits
• Friendships with peers
• Common fears
• Developing language skills
• Nursery school
• Books for parents and three-year-olds
“Louise Bates Ames and her colleagues synthesize a lifetime of observation of children, consultation, and discussion with parents. These books will help parents to better understand their children and will guide them through the fascinating and sometimes trying experiences of modern parenthood.”—Donald J. Cohen, M.D., Director, Yale Child Study Center, Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology, Yale School of Medicine
Your Four-Year-Old: Wild and Wonderful by Louise Bates Ames
What is it about four-year-olds that makes them so lovable? What problems do four-year-olds have? What can they do now that they couldn’t do at three? Drs. Ames and Ilg, recognized authorities on child behavior and development, discuss these and scores of other questions unique to four-year-old girls and boys, and they offer parents practical advice and enlightening psychological insights.
Can Your Four-Year-Old make you a happier, less stressed, and more efficient parent? You bet! Find out about:
• Embarrassing moments . . . how to deal with a four-year-old’s fascination with bowel movements, belly buttons, body parts, and forbidden words—without turning red.
• Words that will work a miracle . . . what to say to give your child and instant smile, raise self-esteem, and change behavior quicker than criticism.
• Hyperactivity . . . how to determine if your “always on the go” four-year-old is truly hyperactive.
• Kindergarten readiness . . . school too soon can cause lifelong problems, so note this warning for parents of “fall babies.”
• Encouraging creativity . . . fifteen activities you can initiate to stimulate your child’s natural talents and have a great time too!
• Your child’s body type: round and plump or bony and angular . . . does it predict behavior, temperament, and social success?
. . . and more!
“Louise Bates Ames and her colleagues synthesize a lifetime of observation of children, consultation, and discussion with parents. These books will help parents to better understand their children and will guide them through the fascinating and sometimes trying experiences of modern parenthood.”—Donald J. Cohen, M.D., Director, Yale Child Study Center, Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology, Yale School of Medicine
Your Five-Year-Old: Sunny and Serene by Louise Bates Ames
A five-year-old is a wonderful, fun-loving, exuberant child. But what’s going on inside that five-year-old head? What stages of development does a child this age go through, and what should parents know that can help their five-year-old handle this impressionable year? Recognized authorities on child behavior and development, Drs. Ames and Ilg answer these and many other questions, offering both invaluable practical advice and enlightening psychological insights.
Included in this book:
• Characteristics of age Five
• The child and others
• Discipline
• Accomplishments and abilities
• The child’s mind
• School
• The five-year-old party
• Individuality
• Stories from real life
• Good books and toys for Fives
• Books for parents
“Louise Bates Ames and her colleagues synthesize a lifetime of observation of children, consultation, and discussion with parents. These books will help parents to better understand their children and will guide them through the fascinating and sometimes trying experiences of modern parenthood.”—Donald J. Cohen, M.D., Director, Yale Child Study Center, Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology, Yale School of Medicine
Your Six-Year-Old: Loving and Defiant by Louise Bates Ames
The six-year-old is a complex child, entirely different from the five-year-old. Though many of the changes are for the good — Six is growing more mature, more independent, more daring and adventurous — this is not necessarily an easy time for the little girl or boy. Relationships with mothers are troubled — most of the time Six adores mother, but whenever things go wrong, it’s her fault. It used to be, at Five, that she was the center of the child’s universe; now, the child is the center of his own universe.
Parents need the expert advice of Drs. Ames and Ilg during this difficult year, to explain parent-child relations, friendships with peers, what six-year-olds excel at, how they see the world, what it feels like to be entering the first grade. Children need patience and understanding to help make this transition easier.
“Louise Bates Ames and her colleagues synthesize a lifetime of observation of children, consultation, and discussion with parents. These books will help parents to better understand their children and will guide them through the fascinating and sometimes trying experiences of modern parenthood.”—Donald J. Cohen, M.D., Director, Yale Child Study Center, Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology, Yale School of Medicine
Your Seven-Year-Old: Life in a Minor Key by Louise Bates Ames
Your Seven-Year-Old is devoted to the delightful but often anxious and withdrawn child of Seven. Although any seven-year-old will have moments of exuberance, security, and happiness, in general this is an age of introspection. As it begins, parents and teachers may welcome the quiet after the tussles and tangles of Six. But once the child of Seven starts to withdraw it’s almost as though he doesn’t know where or when to stop. Seven-year-olds feel picked on by family, friends, and teachers alike; they worry that no one likes them; they expect every little task to prove too difficult to handle; tears come easily at this age.
With wit and wisdom, Dr. Ames of the highly respected Gesell Institute and Carol Chase Haber offer insights into what children this age are feeling and thinking, and how parents can best deal with these moody, serious Sevens.
Included in this book:
• New body awareness
• Sulking
• Concerns about fairness
• Stories from real life
• Fascination with horror, gore
• Threats of running away from home
• Life in the second grade
• Books for Sevens and the parents of Sevens
“Louise Bates Ames and her colleagues synthesize a lifetime of observation of children, consultation, and discussion with parents. These books will help parents to better understand their children and will guide them through the fascinating and sometimes trying experiences of modern parenthood.”—Donald J. Cohen, M.D., Director, Yale Child Study Center, Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology, Yale School of Medicine
The Connected Child by Karyn B. Purvis
The adoption of a child is always a joyous moment in the life of a family. Some adoptions, though, present unique challenges. Welcoming these children into your family–and addressing their special needs–requires care, consideration, and compassion.
Written by two research psychologists specializing in adoption and attachment, The Connected Child will help you:
Build bonds of affection and trust with your adopted child
Effectively deal with any learning or behavioral disorders
Discipline your child with love without making him or her feel threatened
“A must-read not only for adoptive parents but for all families striving to correct and connect with their children.”
–Carol S. Kranowitz, author of The Out-of-Sync Child
“The Connected Child is the literary equivalent of an airline oxygen mask and instructions: place the mask over your own face first, then over the nose of your child. This book first assists the parent, saying, in effect, ‘Calm down, you’re not the first mom or dad in the world to face this hurdle, breathe deeply, then follow these simple steps.’ The sense of not facing these issues alone–the relief that your child’s behavior is not off the charts–is hugely comforting. Other children have behaved this way; other parents have responded thusly; welcome to the community of therapeutic and joyful adoptive families.”
The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog by Bruce D. Perry
In this instant classic of developmental psychology, a renowned psychiatrist examines the effect that trauma can have on a child, reveals how PTSD impacts the developing mind and outlines the path to recovery.
What happens when a young brain is traumatized? How does terror, abuse, or disaster affect a child’s mind — and how can that mind recover? Child psychiatrist Dr. Bruce D. Perry has helped children faced with unimaginable horror: genocide survivors, murder witnesses, kidnapped teenagers, and victims of family violence.
In The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog, Dr. Perry tells their stories of trauma and transformation through the lens of science, revealing the brain’s astonishing capacity for healing. Deftly combining unforgettable case histories with his own compassionate, insightful strategies for rehabilitation, Perry explains what exactly happens to the brain when a child is exposed to extreme stress — and reveals the unexpected measures that can be taken to ease a child’s pain and help him grow into a healthy adult.
As a senior fellow at the Child Trauma Academy, Dr. Perry, and his clinical group worked with hundreds who endured severe childhood neglect and abuse with incredible resilience and strength. Through the stories of children who recover — physically, mentally, and emotionally — from the most devastating circumstances, Perry shows how simple things like surroundings, affection, language, and touch can deeply impact the developing brain, for better or for worse. In this deeply informed and moving book, Bruce Perry dramatically demonstrates that only when we understand the science of the mind can we hope to heal the spirit of even the most wounded child.
Boundaries with Kids (Teens) by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
Since the 1992 release of their Gold Medallion Award-winning book, Boundaries, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend have heard these three questions rephrased thousands of times. As parents begin to realize the tremendous impact poor boundaries have had on their own lives, their concern naturally extends to their children.
How can they help their sons and daughters form healthy boundaries that lead to well-rounded characters and successful adult lives? Now there are answers. Boundaries with Kids helps parents apply the Ten Laws of Boundaries (first described in Boundaries) to the challenges of raising children. In their popular, readable style, Cloud and Townsend help moms and dads make choices and develop a parenting approach that sees beyond the moment to the adults their children will become. For parents who want their kids to escape the struggles they themselves have experienced, here’s an in-depth look at how to implement the preventive medicine of character development by establishing sound boundaries starting with the parents.
Boundaries with Kids helps moms and dads learn how to bring control to an out-of-control family life set limits and still be loving parents define what legitimate boundaries are in the family transfer what they are learning as parents to help their children develop healthy boundaries. Illustrating its points with numerous case studies and anecdotes, Boundaries with Kids gives parents the can-do guidance they need in order to model healthy boundaries for their kids. This book may well be the best investment parents will ever make into the lifelong welfare of their children.
