Parenting Behaviors and Mental Illness – Negotiating Skill RAVEN

Parenting Behaviors and Mental Illness – Negotiating Skill RAVEN

by Mark JohnsonNo Comments
Interpersonal Effectiveness: Negotiate with R-A-V-E-N The next time that you find yourself in an interpersonal situation with the sense that your needs are not being effectively stated, met, or understood, try approaching the interaction using these DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) interpersonal effectiveness skills. Conflict is not necessarily “bad.” It is possible to approach potential conflicts with an attitude of mindfulness, the ability to tolerate distress, emotion regulation, and effective use of interpersonal skills. Consider the idea of negotiation as being respectful of your own and the other person’s needs, wishes, and emotions while working together to find a balanced solution that is in each person’s best interest. Relax Begin by accepting that conflict is occurring. Return to your breath and calm yourself using deep, slow, and intentional breathing. Consciously focus on releasing any held tension as you exhale. Pause before speaking and choose your words mindfully. Avoid the aversive Remember any negative or aversive strategies that you are typically tempted to use during conflict –...
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ODD, ADHD and Parenting

ODD, ADHD and Parenting

by Mark JohnsonNo Comments
ODD and ADHD are closely related. Parenting cab be challenging and requires a lot of understanding and patience. What are ways to deal when your child or teen are angry, defiant and upset? ADDITUDE magazine suggests the following: Children with ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder take defiant behavior to the extreme. When traditional discipline methods don’t work, what do you do? Children with oppositional defiant disorder are blatantly disobedient, disrespectful, and confrontational. Standard discipline doesn’t work. Instead, follow these strategies for how to discipline a child with oppositional defiant disorder: 1. Treat before you punish. Never discipline your child for behaviors that are symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD. Opposition and defiance are sometimes neurological — not intentional. Once your treatment plan has impulsivity under control, you will know which acts are punishable. 2. Exercise away hostility. A potent tonic for the brain is exercise. It promotes healthy brain function and helps children control aggression. 3. Know your child’s patterns. Note when and where your child’s anger flares. Documentation...
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Life Skills Checklist for Special Needs Teens and Young Adults

Life Skills Checklist for Special Needs Teens and Young Adults

by Mark JohnsonNo Comments
This is a list we started working on for all of our kids to set goals for attempting to learn these life skills. Of course each individual living with special needs has different capacities and levels of comprehension. Our special needs son will need help in many areas to achieve this, so in some ways it's a list for us now - caregivers in the future. Maintain relationships - faith in God, home, church, family, friends, co-workers, community Maintain good hygiene Sexual health Caring for clothes - what you wear (washing, drying, ironing, storing, organizing) Using technology for communication (smartphone, email, tablets, desktops) Tie a necktie Self protection (call for help, hand-to-hand, weapon safety) Vaccinations House cleaning, maintenance and organization House emergency prep Kitchen use Technology maintainence Car maintainence Auto emergency prep Personal finance management (accounts, investing, saving, taxes, budgeting, credit score, protection) Personal insurances Personal document management (certificates, passport, records, social security) Career and Work (interviews, job search) Life...
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