Understanding Current Trends in Modern Parenting and The Implications for Children and Families Seeking Therapy
Becca Ballinger, Psy.D.
Trends in Modern Parenting research over the past several decades can be summarized into four major themes: the changing demographic of the Modern Family (a traditional family structure vs. a nontraditional family structure), a shift in the quantity and quality of time spent between parent and child, the influence of social and technological advances that permeates the attention of modern kids, and the increase in adolescent mental health disorders. The purpose of this presentation is to examine and summarize these themes and to provide specific examples for mental health professionals of how to address these trends within the therapeutic context. Change doesn’t have to be an alarm bell for the demise of the Modern Family. With further understanding of current Modern Parenting trends, the future of the Modern Family will be a healthy and positive one.
Educational goals:
To foster attendees’ development of competence as practitioners, including their knowledge of the ways in which science influences practice.
• To foster the development of mental health professional who demonstrate their multicultural sensitivity, awareness, knowledge, and competence in their training and professional work.
• To provide broad and general training on the topic of Modern Parenting while also fostering attendees’ professional development and identity as mental health professionals that provide services for children, adolescents, and families.
Objectives:
1. Participants will be able to identify the top 4 trends in Modern Parenting research.
2. Participants will be given 4 examples of how to apply these trends to their treatment plans.
3. Participants will gain a better knowledge of the important research sources for Modern Parenting information.
4. Participants will be able to identify the complexity of being a Modern Parent by hearing the presenter’s first-hand account of parenting within a non-traditional family structure.
Bio:
Dr. Becca Ballinger is a child psychologist, Modern Parenting Expert, founder of the popular blog, Parenting The Modern Family, and owner of a Southern California private practice. She specializes in helping kids and families of all types overcome modern challenges that threaten the stability of the family. As a parent of a 21-year-old son and a 18-year-old daughter, not only does she know how to raise great kids within the structure of a non-traditional family, but she understands the unique stressors that this generation of kids must overcome. She has written extensively for large publications such as The Huffington Post on topics such as kids and mental health, successful parenting in nontraditional families, the motivation crisis that plagues this generation’s youth, and finding the balance between over-parenting and under-parenting.