It's Just Life:
Taking The "Psycho" Out Of Psychology
For Everyday Living

The It's Just Life! lecture series is about psychology for every day life. Each 90-minute live talk includes a real-life Q&A session, packed full of specific, practical answers to the tough parenting and family challenges we all face daily. Each talk costs only $19 per CD plus tax, and shipping and handling. Order our most popular talks as a four-volume series and receive a discount!

For information on ordering any of the following, see Ordering Information.

Volume 1 - Parenting With Confidence: less threatening, less bribing and less exhaustion

Do you ever wish you could raise your children with less exhaustion and greater confidence, without having to resort to threats, bribes, and endless arguing? Do you sometimes struggle with how best to manage behavior in the face of crazy schedules, car pools, and not enough sleep?!

Learn more about how you can parent more effectively and with more confidence in this live 90-minute lecture plus Q&A, full of real-life examples and solutions:

• Six ways to maintain calm "benevolent authority," as you set necessary limits and boundaries that promote trust and cooperation.
• How being an effective parent is like being a good manager.
• Top reactive shortcuts in parenting that you should avoid.
• How to be an empathetic parent, without undermining your own authority.
• How to assess and improve your "parenting systems" to empower your children with a sense of accountability and independence.

See our Ordering Information page.

Volume 2 - Understanding Out of the Ordinary Behaviors

When is an out of the ordinary behavior a "red flag" for a more extensive problem or simply "a stage" to overcome? Without a graduate level course on diagnostics, how are parents supposed to have perspective, and how are we to respond to atypical behaviors we see in our loved ones?

Learn more about how to recognize and seek appropriate help for "red flags" in your child's behavior in this live 90-minute lecture plus Q&A:

• Learn how to recognize normal vs. out of the ordinary behaviors.
• Understand the difference between what may be genetic or temperament (nature) vs. environment or learned (nurture).
• Discover the categories of clinical disorders that deserve more comprehensive intervention.
• Listen to real case studies and examples illustrating ADHD, Adjustment Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Anxiety, Asbergers, and Reactive Attachment Disorder.

See our Ordering Information page.

Volume 3 - First Comes Hurt, Then Comes Anger

When your kids get mad, do you get mad back? Do you ever feel powerless in the face of a child's anger? As a teacher, do you find yourself struggling to effectively diffuse frustration in your classroom? Or maybe you wish you had new ways to resolve conflict in your family, in your marriage, or other important relationships? Do you want a different approach to manage conflict at work?

Learn more about what lies behind anger...and what you can do about it in this 90-minute lecture Q&A, packed full of tips and ideas on:

• How to move from fury to resolution without feeling compromised.
• Four ways to transform anger into reasoning, problem solving, and action.
• How to have more empathy in the face of someone who's expressing anger at you.
• Three reasons why you shouldn't put a lid on anger and frustration.
• How to stay away from depression and anxiety in the face of frustration and anger.
• Life skills for being more effective in your important relationships.

See our Ordering Information page.

Volume 4 - Sibling Rivalry for Better and Worse

Do you wonder if sibling rivalry in your family has gone too far? Do you wish that your children would fight less and be more accepting of each other? Do you struggle with rivalry in your own adult relationships? Did you know that rivalry is necessary and beneficial?

Learn more about how to manage sibling rivalry in this live 90-minute lecture, plus Q&A session. Here's what you'll learn:

• What healthy rivalry looks like in your family, in the workplace, and in society.
• Three reasons why sibling rivalry is good for your children (and for you!).
• Four ways to intervene when children are fighting, without adding "fuel to the flames."
• Learn how to avoid allying with one perspective over another when intervening to help problem-solve.
• Approaches to encourage accountability, compromise, and problem solving.
• How to be more mindful and calm as you respond to, work with, and make peace with rivalry.

See our Ordering Information page.

Volume 5 - Love Your Body and Your Self: Healing Our Eating Disorders

Do you feel confused about how to eat healthfully? Have you lost the rituals and innate wisdom around eating that can help regulate your metabolism? Do you use exercise as a form of "punishment" or self-blame because you overate? Did you know that our children largely learn their attitudes and behavior toward body and food from us! Maybe you have concerns about signs you see in your child or a loved one that may be indicative of a serious eating disorder?

Our society has become one big eating disorder and lots of people are confused! Over 50% of Americans are overweight and 25% of US children are overweight. In the meantime, Americans continue to look for easy answers and resort to restrictive diets.

Learn the facts about how to be a normal eater and maintain trust in your body's hunger and fullness signals. Gain clarity, knowledge, and inspiration in this live 90-minute lecture, plus Q&A session. Here's what what's covered:

• Top sociocultural, biological and developmental factors that can lead to eating disorders.
• The spectrum of disordered eating behavior, from yo-yo dieters, to compulsive overeaters, to restrictive anorexics.
• Interventions for becoming a normal eater with well-regulated appetite controls.
• Ways to feel good about food and find energy for living from the inside out.
• How weight loss programs make us fatter!

"Ever since I listened to that tape and stopped dieting, I have felt so great. I feel like I'm off the roller coaster. I can honestly say I have not binged on any food since I heard that tape. I eat food when I'm hungry and taste foods that look good at parties - or not. I went to 3 parties over the weekend and felt no temptation to eat at 2 of them and didn't overeat at the dinner party. . . I may have lost a little and I'm more patient about a slow change in my body." DL, Gaithersburg, MD

See our Ordering Information page.