Carole Banks, LCSW is a former parent coach for Empowering Parents.
She has contributed a number of articles to our site.
Ms. Banks has worked as a family and individual therapist for two decades.
She is also the mother of three grown children and grandmother of six.
Read more about Carole Banks, LCSW on Psychology Today and on her website.
Ms. Banks holds a Masters Degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of New England and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Maine.
“Be realistic in your goals. Remember, it took time for your child to get behind, so you need to allow time for him to catch up. It’s not going to be instantaneous, and it will take just as much practice on your part as it does on your child’s part. Change takes time.”
Ever get stuck trying to give the right consequences to your young child or toddler? Remember, teaching accountability by giving consequences can start early, when your child is still small. In fact, it's one of the most important things you could ever teach them. The key is to do it in a manner appropriate for... Read more »
Harsh punishments are not effective for improving a child's behavior. Instead, they only create resentment. If you punish your child too harshly, he will only be thinking about his anger toward you and not about the consequences of his actions. Harsh punishments will only lead him to think that you are unreasonable and unfair. Unfortunately, this... Read more »
At some point as a parent, you will likely be faced with the dreaded email from your child’s teacher telling you that your kid has crossed the line and that you need to come in for another conference. Or the principal will call to tell you that your teen has missed the last week of... Read more »
Editor’s note: At the beginning of the year, we asked you, our readers, to send us real questions specific to your family’s situation. Our first article in our new series, Real Questions from Real Parents, deals with something most parents can relate to: backtalk, name-calling and disrespect. All questions are answered by a member of our parent... Read more »
If you’re a parent, it is a certainty that you have had to deal with an angry child. Often, we end up in shouting matches with our kids, or we freeze up, not knowing what to do when an angry outburst occurs. Anger is a normal emotion in kids and adults alike. But how we... Read more »
Has your child been caught stealing from you or someone else? Have you found them using your credit card for online gaming, taking money from your wallet without asking, or even taking big-ticket items from your house? The anger, disappointment, and lack of trust you feel can be destructive to your relationship. Empowering Parents coach... Read more »
Do you find yourself saying things to your child during an argument without even thinking about it? Let’s face it, it’s almost impossible to be detached or objective when your child is in your face fighting with you. And naturally, it feels like a personal attack when he’s saying rude things or calling you names.... Read more »
To expect your child to understand and care about your feelings when he or she disobeys you is a sign that you’re over–personalizing the behavior. And by doing so, you are setting yourself up to be frustrated. When parents take things very personally, they overreact by saying abusive things, giving severe punishments or even physically hurting their... Read more »
"My child misbehaves so much that I don't even know where to start!" This is one of the most common things we hear on the parent coaching team, and it's an understandable problem. Many parents tell me they feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and anxious when dealing with their child or teen's acting out behavior. They wonder... Read more »
As an advisor to parent coaching, I frequently hear calls involving sibling rivalry conflicts. An important thing to remember is that sibling rivalry is a normal emotional state in children. Children compete with each other for their parent’s approval and affection. In fact, adult children still can feel competitive about their parents’ attention. One of... Read more »