How to Stop Yelling and Telling, and How to Connect With Your Teen
Parenting teens comes with its own unique set of challenges, especially when it comes to communication. It’s easy to fall into the habit of telling…
Category: Articles
How to Deal With Child to Parent Aggression
Aggressive behaviour by a child towards a parent is one of the least studied areas of domestic violence. This is due in large part because parents are…
Helping Children Face Their Fears
Doubt and fear seem to be intrinsically woven into the hearts of some children. Their worries and anxieties cause them to shrink, lean out, and…
How to Get Your Teen to Take COVID-19 Seriously
Last Saturday night (only 36 hours before all restaurants and cafes were closed by the government) my 17-year-old daughter grabbed the car keys, called out…
My Child is Struggling Because Everything Is Being Cancelled
We’re living in unprecedented times. Offices are shut, streets are increasingly empty, and some people are locking themselves away. The uncertainty that we are grappling…
What to do When You’ve Made a Mistake With Your Child
I recently received an anonymous message from a devastated mum. After reading one of my articles about why we should never threaten our child with…
5 Ways to Promote Happiness in Your Family
Happiness is a shared goal for families everywhere. Research shows that happiness benefits our health, reduces stress, and fosters stronger family bonds. Here are five…
Helping Your Child with Depression
Eli is eight years old. He has been diagnosed with depression. And, like it is for anyone with this diagnosis, depression is a daily battle…
Finding the Right Psychological Help for Your Family
We receive dozens of requests every week from people seeking psychological help for parents, or for children, who are struggling with the demands of 2020…
Ask Dr Justin – Twins: Going from “we” to “me”
Dear Dr. Justin, I have three children, two of whom are twins. I came across an essay one wrote saying how he hates being a…
Helping Our Boys Grow Into Men
I reckon I’ve had about enough. The way that our kids treat each other. And, as a dad to 6 daughters, specifically the stories of…
Winning Or Losing: How To Handle A Bad Sport
You’ve been on the sidelines of the netball court (or soccer pitch, etc) cheering and encouraging. You’ve avoided saying anything about the shoddy refereeing being…
5 Better Conversations To Have About Screens
“Excess screen time has reduced our attention span to eight seconds, one less than that of a goldfish.” That’s a direct quote from the July…
My Favourite Books from 2019
Reading is a passion for me. I love it. I’m one of those people who has around 20 books piled up around my bedside table waiting to…
My Annual Review: 2019 Edition
This time last year I made the decision to be vulnerable, transparent, and up-front about my personal and professional life. The idea was essentially a…
Talking to Children About the Bushfires
The ongoing bushfires around Australia are extraordinary. We’ve all seen them. Too many have experienced them or had close encounters, either personally or through a…