HEALTHY FAMILY CONNECTIONS

In this episode Neil reports the shocking results from a survey on Parental Burnout conducted by the Business Performance Innovation Network. The survey reveals most parents experience Parental Burnout and over 40% report they experience it at a significant or profound degree. Neil sees these numbers at a threat to our society and addresses the causes and his vision of health and how to get there....

In this episode Neil responds to a Mom struggling to get her five-year-old daughter to stop bugging her to play when she's trying to do chores, and feeling like "the bad guy" when Dad's home and gets involved. Neil helps Mom understand her 5-year-old's needs so that she doesn't keep seeking negative attention to get attention. Neil recommends some books for Mom and Dad to read and discuss to get o...

In this episode Neil responds to a Dad struggling to connect with his two boys and dealing with his wife's criticism of his parenting. Dad thinks the main problem is that Mom is too lax and when he's home, the kids aren't used to following instructions. Neil realizes that both parents are experiencing parental burnout and both need support from each other, but are feeling depleted and alienated. N...

In this episode Neil responds to a Mom trying to get help for her 18 year old son. He graduated high school with honors and has a scholarship to community college, but uses marijuana and puts holes in the wall when he gets angry. Neil offers this Mom a way to push restart in their relationship now that he is entering his young adult college years and how to make a break with the past and establish...

In this episode Neil contrasts two clients he's worked with, one starting out with personal worth issues and working in a very supportive corporate culture, and another with essentially high self-esteem working in a company whose culture changed for the worse. Neil shows how profound the impact of the work environment was on these two individuals and how they dealt with it and how he dealt with it...

In this episode Neil responds to a Mom struggling with her health, her business, and her two strong willed daughters. Neil helps this mother see the pattern she is in and how it was "programed" into her in childhood. Neil offers this mom a better way to see herself and a better way to let her daughters see her. Neil invites listeners to examine the messages they internalized in childhood that may...

In this episode Neil responds to a Mom who asks about how to get her 8 year old son to do something he flat out refuses to do, without losing her warm loving relationship with him. Neil uses this Mom's question to help us see how important it is to have and communicate a positive vision of our kids. It is by holding and communicating this positive vision that children and adolescents learn to beli...

In this episode Neil responds to a Mom who after pushing and prodding her son through high school, wonders how he will possibly be able to be successful in college. Neil shows how their control battle based relationship led to Mom suffering from burnout and son remaining dependent on his Mom. Neil offers Mom a way to shift out of their old relationship pattern and give her son responsibility for h...

In this episode Neil Interviews Amy Rose, a substance abuse treatment professional of Recovery Happens Counseling Services. In this interview, they discuss the issue of potency in modern cannabis and the serious impact it's having on youth functioning, among them being addiction and impaired neurodevelopment. Vaping, the newest form of ingestion allows the user to consume extraordinarily high dose...

In this episode Neil responds to a Mom who is beyond frustrated with her gifted son. While he gets good grades and an invitation to apply to an Ivy League College, he seems indifferent and doesn't keep agreements. Mom wonders if he is on the autism spectrum or has oppositional defiant disorder. Neil explains how gifted youth are often not sufficiently challenged and can miss out on developing a "G...

In this episode Neil responds to a Dad who has given his son permission to smoke marijuana and drink, if it's not to often, not too much, and not when driving. Neil helps Dad see that this poor decision was made in a Control Battle based relationship that has left parents disempowered and burned out. Neil reminds Dad of the vital developmental tasks taking place during adolescence and gives Dad a...

In this episode Neil responds to the mother of a 20 year old son with social anxiety living at home, not working or going to school who spends most of his time in his room playing video games. Mom is wondering if she needs to kick him out and change the locks. Neil helps this Mom see the Control Battle she is in with her son and supports her in reclaiming a healthy vision of him while setting limi...

In this episode Neil responds to the mother of a 10th grade girl who does well in most areas, but doesn't pursue friendships and doesn't like to challenger herself. Her favorite thing is being at home and playing with her brothers and her parents. Neil explains that kids develop in different ways and at different times and reassures this mother that her daughter is healthy and on her own developme...

In this episode Neil responds to a mother of a young teen girl who blames her for everything and when she gets mad says, "I hate you". Mom and Dad's best efforts to help her calm down, feel loved and get perspective haven't worked and they're wondering what to do. Neil explains how the temperamental differences between the parents and their daughter are interfering in their ability to offer suppor...

In this episode Neil responds to a mother of a 17 year old teen who has been suffering from GAD or generalized anxiety disorder for several years. He's has lots of professional resources but hasn't gotten better and now he has no friends and doesn't talk in school at all. Mother's question is whether or not she should require him to go to Adolescent Therapy Group or not, since he doesn't want to g...

In this episode Neil responds to a mother of a 15 year old teen who stopped caring about his school work and is hanging around with a kid who is exposing him to marijuana. Mom feels helpless and desperate. Neil identifies this mother's disempowered attitude and her parental burnout as contributing factors. Neil offers several actions Mom can take and role-plays a talk she can have with her son. Ne...

In this episode Neil responds to a Dad whose son says removing his privileges is just a form of punishment. Neil explains the concept of earned privileges and how it teaches and encourages children and teenagers to develop personal responsibility, an empowering skill necessary for happiness and success. Neil then answers this Dad's question directly and gives him a strategy to talk with his son an...

In this episode Neil talks with Clinical and Educational Psychologist Mark Burdick. Mark specializes in evaluations and placements for adolescents and young adults who require greater support in settings such as wilderness programs, residential treatment and recovery programs. In this episode, Neil and Mark discuss the challenges of families living abroad or in new locations as well as some of the...

In this episode Neil responds to a Mom with a rude and demanding 13 year-old daughter. Mom feels guilty because she's been yelling when she gets to the end of her rope. Now she doesn't know how to respond when she goes to set limits and her daughter, and her daughter points out that Mom's behavior is just as bad as hers. Neil explains and demonstrates use of "The Talk" as a method to shift out of...

In this episode Neil responds to a Dad concerned that his young adult son isn't happy. Neil looks at how Control Battles can develop when parents over-focus on making their sons and daughters happy. He engages a discussion on the subject of happiness; where it comes from and how to raise our children and teenagers to live happy fulfilling lives. Neil challenges listeners to examine the question of...

In this episode Neil responds to a Mom struggling in a Control Battle with her teenagers and her husband. She wants high standards for her kids while her husband thinks it she should back off. Neil explains that control battles can be complex and can be thought of as choreography, and he gives an example of a family pattern that is likely going on with them. He then helps this Mom find a way to ch...

In this episode Neil responds to a Mom who wants to know if her son is addicted to video games. Neil explains the inherent addictive nature of games and gives some guidelines for managing games and identifying addiction. Neil encourages parents to start early teaching self-management skills to kids and offers a way to intervene when gaming is getting the upper hand on the teen and the family. Neil...

In this episode Neil responds to a Dad who is concerned that his special needs son will grow up to be a hermit. Neil explains the importance of holding a healthy vision of his son by focusing on his strengths. He helps Dad out of the Parent-Teen Control Battle and puts him on a path to Empowered Teen Parenting. Neil also encourages Dad to utilize some resources for high functioning autism spectrum...

In this episode Neil responds to a mother whose 14 year old daughter argues every request and decision. Neil explains the importance of teaching healthy arguing skills and even gives this Mom a way to turn things around with her daughter. Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

In this episode Neil explains why New Year's Resolutions so often fail and how to create one that won't fail. You'll learn how looking at ourselves through a negative and critical lens is rooted in our childhoods and how to change to see ourselves in a healthy way, how to act in more self-valuing ways, and how to make a healthy New Year's Resolution. Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for dis...