Resources
Books and podcasts I come back to.
These are the resources I recommend most often to the parents and caregivers I work with. You don’t need to read all of them, and you certainly don’t need to read them before we talk. Start with whichever one sounds like your house right now.
Books
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The Whole-Brain Child
The one I recommend first. It explains what is actually happening in your kid’s brain during a meltdown, and gives you a way to respond that works with their development instead of against it.
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No-Drama Discipline
A reframe of discipline as teaching rather than punishing. Useful if you find yourself stuck between letting things slide and losing your temper.
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The Yes Brain
About building resilience, curiosity, and flexibility, rather than just managing hard moments. A good next step once the day-to-day feels steadier.
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The Power of Showing Up
Reassuring reading for anyone worried they are getting it wrong. The message is that kids need you present and repairing, not perfect.
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Elevating Child Care
Short, practical chapters on respectful parenting. Especially good for the younger end, and for setting limits without a power struggle.
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Free to Be: Understanding Kids & Gender Identity
A clear, evidence-based guide for families of gender-diverse kids and teens, from a child and adolescent psychiatrist. Grounding if you are looking for facts rather than noise.
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The Emotional Lives of Teenagers
My go-to for parents and caregivers of preteens and teens. It sorts out which intense feelings are ordinary adolescence and which ones deserve a closer look.
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Siblings Without Rivalry
A classic, and still the most useful thing I know on constant bickering, comparison, and the feeling that someone is always being treated unfairly.
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Podcasts
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Play Therapy Parenting
Short episodes answering real questions from parents, from a child therapist who works the way I do. A good way to hear play therapy thinking applied to everyday situations.
Visit the podcast -
Janet Lansbury: Unruffled
Calm, concrete episodes built around questions sent in by parents. Most run under half an hour, which makes it an easy listen on the school run.
Listen to episodes
Not sure where to start?
Reading can help, but it isn’t the same as having someone think it through with you. If something here sounds like your family, a free 20-minute call is an easy next step.
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