You’re Not Alone: Support for Parenting School‑Age Kids
Parents!
Are you wondering what you can do to better support and parent your school‑age children?
Are your children having difficulty adapting to school, meeting classroom behavioral expectations, or following home rules?
Common Behaviors of Concern
These challenges may show up in many different ways, including:
Attention & Task Completion
- Difficulty attending to tasks
- Trouble completing work
- Daydreaming
Executive Functioning Challenges
- Problems with prioritizing and planning
- Poor time management
- Rushing through assignments, leading to careless mistakes
Social Concerns
- Strained peer relationships
- Lack of social skills
- Bullying others or experiencing emotional harm from being bullied
Emotional Regulation
- Tantrums
- Easily angered
- Verbal or physical aggression toward self, others, or property
- Rapid mood changes (sadness, irritability, tearfulness)
Risk‑Taking & Safety
- Forgetting chores
- Refusing to follow instructions
- Appearing not to listen when spoken to
Hyperactivity & Impulsivity
- Excessive talking or fidgeting
- Struggles to remain seated
- Interrupting or blurting out
- Trouble waiting their turn
Home & Daily Structure
- Forgetting chores
- Refusing to follow instructions
- Appearing not to listen when spoken to
Oppositional Behaviors
- Arguing
- Refusing to follow rules
- Deliberately provoking others
- Blaming others for misbehavior
(Certainly not an all‑inclusive list.)
Therapeutic Approaches That Help
Evidence‑Based Therapies
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
-
Parent Management Training (PMT)
-
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
These approaches help:
- Manage thoughts, mood, and behaviors
- Improve problem‑solving by changing negative thought patterns
- Teach parents strategies such as positive reinforcement and effective limit‑setting
- Restore a sense of calm, confidence, and control in parenting
Child Therapy Outcomes
According to WashU Medicine (https://medicine.washu.edu), 2025 statistics show:
High Success Rates:
Approximately 75%–88% of children and teens show improvement, better emotional regulation, and/or fewer or less-severe symptoms following therapeutic intervention.
Understanding Today’s Family Challenges
Families today balance many moving parts, including:
- Employment‑related moves
- Multigenerational households
- Changing gender identification roles
- Work–life balance challenges
- Digital technology and screen-time influence
- Blended families
I approach each family with empathy, compassion, and a desire to empower you with effective knowledge, skills, and tools to support your journey.
My Therapeutic Approach
Using an Eclectic/Integrative Therapy style, I tailor sessions using:
- CBT, DBT, PMT
- Creative Arts
- Expressive Arts
- Music
- Brief educational video
These help build skills such as:
- Mindfulness
- Emotional and behavioral regulation
- Mood management
- Distress tolerance
Looking Forward to Meeting You!
Anne Ashley, LPC, LCDC
Salt and Light Psychological Services PLLC, Therapist
We invite you to schedule an appointment during our office hours:
Monday – Friday: 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM
In‑Office or Telehealth appointments available
This clinic was founded by Dr. Lydia Sagar, a psychologist who believes deeply in the power of words to illuminate our inner experiences. Through writing, her and other clinicians aim to break complex psychological ideas into something relatable, usable, and meaningful for everyday life. We are glad you’re here—and I hope what you read helps you better understand yourself and the world around you.