Thursday, July 16, 2015

Beyond Time-Out - Advice on How to Handle Misbehaving Children


A retired clinical child psychologist, Dr. Beth Grosshans has been featured in The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and The Washington Times over the course of her 25-year career. In 2010, Dr. Beth Grosshans leveraged her expertise in child behavior and development to publish the book Beyond Time-Out: From Chaos to Calm.

A 336-page book, Beyond Time-Out: From Chaos to Calm addresses undisciplined children and their out of control behaviors. The book encourages parents to evaluate their own actions to determine an appropriate solution for managing children and creating a balanced household, where a child does not have primary control. Specifically, readers are given advice on how to establish authority and power, which alleviates defiant battles with food, sleeping, and potty training. Likewise, the book offers guidance on calming fears and taming tantrums.

According to reader Ann Murphy, a parenting contributor to ABC’s Good Morning America, the publication delivers advice in an empathetic manner. The book sheds light on the difficulties of setting limits, while delivering a clear message about the rewards reaped when creating boundaries.

Monday, July 6, 2015

Diagnosing Anxiety in Teenagers


Clinical child psychologist Dr. Beth Grosshans practiced in Newtown, Pennsylvania, for more than 20 years. In her book Beyond Time Out: From Chaos to Calm, Dr. Beth Grosshans addresses behavioral issues common in children, including unruliness and several types of anxiety.

As they grow, many teenagers experience short- or long-term anxiety. Symptoms may include insomnia, loss of appetite, mood swings, substance abuse, social avoidance or shyness, or developmental delays. Types of anxieties include separation anxiety, social anxiety, or general anxiety, and they may appear in conjunction with related behavioral concerns, such as an eating disorder or ADHD. The condition may be exacerbated by traumatic life events, the death or illness of a loved one, bullying, academic stress, and other environmental factors.

Parents may choose to consult with a professional if the level of anxiety is affecting the teenager’s daily life. Treatment options include cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, or a combination of both. Physicians frequently prescribe medication to control abnormal serotonin levels, which can contribute to anxiety, although some patients find that a cognitive therapy program is enough to treat the anxiety by itself.