Articles by John F. Kelly, Ph.D. and Gene Beresin

April 23, 2014

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Myths About the 12-Step Program: What Science Tells Us About Effective Treatment of Addiction

The 12-Step Program. Does it work? In recent years, there have been some questions raised about the effectiveness of 12-step mutual-help programs (such as Alcoholics Anonymous) and 12-step professional treatment plans, claiming that these approaches are almost completely ineffective and even harmful in treating substance use disorders. Tune in for more on what parents should […]

October 28, 2013

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Raising Resilient Children

This has been a tough year to be a parent. From deadly school shootings, tornadoes tearing through elementary schools, and bombings by homegrown terrorists, to the steady stream of discouraging news on the cost of higher education and the lack of good jobs awaiting young graduates, it has felt like there are more and more […]

October 23, 2013

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Kids at Risk for Violence: Warning Signs of Aggression

Some kids will become violent as adolescents. Many have a very short fuse, exploding over the smallest thing. Others, like a ticking time bomb, harbor pent up anger until something pops. And then there are the scariest kids—the ones who silently plan to harm others, and then don’t just fantasize, but really hurt others, verbally […]

September 23, 2013

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Over-Scheduled, Stressed-Out Families

You can also listen to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, SoundCloud, and most podcast apps – just search for “Shrinking It Down.” A contemporary belief is that it’s our job as parents to make our beloved children successful, and to do so we must start focusing on skill development as early as possible—if not by playing Mozart […]

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Is It Safe to Use Stimulants to Treat ADHD?

It’s not unusual for parents to bring their kid with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to a child psychiatrist and say: “We really want you to help, but do not want any medications.” What causes someone to say this? It’s not often we would go to a doctor and say, “Take care of me, doc, […]

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Adult Children Moving Back Home: The Boomerang Generation and the New Normal

Intro music written and performed by Dr. Gene Beresin. Outro music performed by Dr. Gene Beresin. In the past when children went off to college or left home, parents needed to adjust to living as “empty nesters.”  The expectation was that this was the way life would continue.  But in a major economic and social […]

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Tips For Parents Sending Kids To College

College is quite a milestone in family life. For parents and college-bound youth, it represents the real beginning of adulthood. Prospects of autonomy, independence and REALLY leaving home come to mind. It’s an incredibly exciting and long-awaited achievement. Though thrilled to get going, most new college students are also more than a tad stressed. Many […]

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

The Adolescent Brain: Primed for Thrills and High On Life

Teenagers are convinced they are ready to take the reins, no longer wanting to be held back by overly-cautious adults who don’t really ‘get it,’ who don’t understand the urgency of whatever situation is brewing at that moment. Most teenagers have learned the mechanics of the adult world (driving, using credit cards, living a life […]

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

My Child Is Being Bullied Because Of Religion

There is a saying with regard to prejudice and human behavior.  It’s a shrinky phrase (by that, I mean that it’s loaded with jargon), so I’m going to tell it first, and then we’ll translate it through, sadly, an increasingly common example. Here’s the phrase: “The narcissism of small differences.” Sigmund Freud himself coined this […]

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Are Teenagers Responsible?

Ask any parent of a teen whether his or her child is responsible, and a wry smile will appear. If you could see the internal images and memories behind that smile, they would look like this: wet towels on the floor, a car left without gas on a workday morning, a forgotten homework assignment, a […]