Happy Families Blog

It is generally well accepted that females experience greater levels of depression and anxiety than males. This is true, not only during adulthood, but also during adolescence. While there is a range...

Hi Dr Justin, My 7 year old son has recently started saying things like “I’m dumb or I’m stupid” if he makes a mistake. This might be when trying to sound out a word, or if his behaviour ...

Our children think they have all the answers. Just ask them. They’ll be sure to tell you why they are right and you are wrong – about almost everything. As parents who are (hopefully) wiser, we ...

Hi Dr Justin I have a 5 year old who has severe anxiety issues. She wakes during the night to ensure I am still at home and often wakes to come into my bed. I send her back to her bed but she ...

Dear Dr Justin My 12 year old daughter is cutting. Counsellors, mental health people etc. have had no effect.  She hears voices. Writes about suicide. I’m at my wits end over this. I have sought...

Good Morning Dr Justin, I was hoping you could me some advice? I have a twelve and a half year old daughter who is the youngest of four children. What my worry with L is, she has been doing ...

I’ve noticed a pattern in my own parenting, and in the parenting of many mums and dads I work with. We parents can often exhibit a relatively low tolerance with our kids – particularly when we ...

When I was a child and someone called me a name or said something unkind to me, I was taught to respond with the old poem Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. But the ...

Research debunking the myth of praise as useful has been published since the 1970’s. However, every time that I talk to parents about why they shouldn’t praise their kids, people look at me...