Helping your child deal with new situations and places

Psychologist Fay Van Der Kay-Levinson, PhD, shares advice for parents on how to help your children not be afraid of foreign situations and places
How To Help Your Child Deal With New Situations & Places
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Helping your child deal with new situations and places

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Some children have more of a challenge with transition than others. And these are usually children and adults who need a little extra time to warm up. They’re often reflective and if you can give them as much as you can, a map so to speak, of what to expect. So before a birthday party, you can make a prediction list together. And you can say, “Well, what do you think are some things that you’re going to see at that party? Do you think there’s going to be a cake? Do you think there’s going to be balloons?” And so that they get used to predicting what they’re going to see. Also, with any new situation, if you can be one of the first people there, that will help them to physically acclimate to the environment. And the main thing as a parent is you do not want to make them wrong for this. You do not want to compare them to somebody else. “Well, your cousin, Angie, just… all they have to do is drop her off at the party.” You want to be careful to respect your child for their style. And the style just may be one of I have to get used to where I am.

Psychologist Fay Van Der Kay-Levinson, PhD, shares advice for parents on how to help your children not be afraid of foreign situations and places

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Fay Van Der Kar-Levinson, PhD

Psychologist

For more than 30 years, Dr. Van Der Kar-Levinson has helped parents to navigate the maze known as parenting. She acts as both a guide and a resource for parents as they deal with the joys and challenges of raising children.

Dr. Van Der Kar-Levinson’s passion is to help parents to help their children thrive at each stage of development. She works to identify each child’s unique temperament and learning style in order to create and implement effective behavior strategies. Dr. Van Der Kar-Levinson is an expert at helping families deal with life changes such as birth of siblings, changing schools, divorce, and death.

Dr. Van Der Kar-Levinson also guides parents through the process of determining the best school for their children, and has co-authored two books on that topic, Choosing the Right School for Your Child and Secrets to School Success.   

For the past three decades Dr. Van Der Kar-Levinson has lectured and consulted at private as well as public schools. She has served as an adjunct professor at both the University of California at Los Angeles and Pepperdine University.

Dr. Van Der Kar-Levinson earned her PhD and MA at the University of California at Los Angeles where she studied and trained with some of the nation’s top researchers and clinicians in the fields of child development and clinical psychology. She is a lifetime member of the American Psychological Association.

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