News & Insights

Are your kids starting to get bored with making their beds and taking out the trash? The good news is that there is so much more they can do! All kidding aside, there are plenty of household responsibilities that your kids can help with, beyond cleaning their room and taking the trash out. 

“So many parents think of household chores as things that need to be done by the adults, especially when kids are little,” says  Dr. Lisa Pion-Berlin, a licensed hypnotherapist and CEO of Parents Anonymous®, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing child abuse and providing support to parents and families. “However, assigning children age-appropriate tasks not only helps lighten the load for parents, but also teaches valuable life skills, such as independence, responsibility and self-confidence.”

Read more on Chores and Responsibilities at Greenlight

If your teen is anything like the average teen, they’re probably always on a FaceTime call, gaming with friends online while chatting through a headset, or getting notification after notification from Snapchat. You’d think with so many opportunities for conversation and connection, the word “lonely” wouldn’t even exist in their vocabulary. But surprisingly, research shows that Gen Z is the loneliest age group – even more so than older people, who don’t get out often and lack the social opportunities they had when they were younger.

Another big factor contributing to teen loneliness? The culture of comparison – and the fear of missing out. Anyone who’s ever used social media, even adults, can relate; it’s a landscape of glossy, carefully curated and edited content that makes aspects of other people’s lives seem … well, a lot better than yours.

“Social media creates a platform for comparison – teens view idealized representations of others’ lives, which makes them feel isolated and inadequate despite having numerous virtual connections,” Dr. Lisa Pion-Berlin, ACSW, ACHT and CEO of Parents Anonymous, tells SheKnows. “The expectation for teens to appear flawless in their digital profiles creates barriers to developing authentic and open emotional connections.”  

Read more on The Lonely Reality of Being Connected

Have you ever been tempted by that “Buy Now” button for something you never even knew you needed? Or found yourself watching just one more episode, even when you promised you’d stop? In a world where everything happens instantly, learning how to get better at delaying gratification is more important than ever. Today, teens (and parents, too!) aren’t exactly set up for success when everything is built for instant gratification.

In this post, we’ll explore useful strategies, daily habits, and expert-backed insights to help teens strengthen their impulse control and build patience.

Long-term benefits for teens

Patience isn’t just about waiting; it’s about building a foundation for future success. “Research shows that people who acquire this ability tend to choose healthier lifestyles while achieving better academic performance and building more authentic relationships,” says Dr. Lisa Pion-Berlin, a licensed hypnotherapist and CEO of Parents Anonymous®, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing child abuse and providing emotional support to parents and families.

Read more on delaying gratification

Mental health groups are stepping up to help victims of the Los Angeles area wildfires deal with the extreme stress brought on by the disaster.

The California Parent and Youth Helpline is beginning to work at evacuation centers and is looking to partner with community or government entities to provide victims with emotional support.

Lisa Pion-Berlin, president and CEO of Parents Anonymous, which runs the helpline, said people can call, text or live chat with a trained counselor.

Read more on why more support is needed

Entire neighborhoods in Southern California have been destroyed by deadly wildfires, displacing communities that don’t know what — if anything — they’ll have to return to.

The big picture: Researchers have linked wildfires to long-lasting anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in survivors, in addition to the well-documented physical toll.

Los Angeles families calling into Parents Anonymous’ California Parent & Youth Helpline have been expressing extreme overwhelm this week, said Lisa Pion-Berlin, CEO of Parents Anonymous.

For those whose houses were destroyed, “it’s not just the things in the building you lost, you lost a home,” she said. “And that’s a safe place where you’re raising a family, where you go to relax, where you go to cry, where you go to celebrate, where you have birthday parties.”
“A home is much more than a building, a home is part of your heart, and that’s been totally cut out.”

Read more on the psychological toll on Axios

Read more on the psychological toll on MSN

Squirrel! Balloon! Cookie! When toddlers point, they’re not just saying, ‘Hey, look at this!’—they’re actually showing off some serious smarts.

Even though toddlers can’t form full sentences yet, they’re actually better at communicating than you might realize. A recent study reveals that even at just 18 months old, toddlers can size up what their parents know and use pointing gestures to share information. Intrigued? Let’s dive into the fascinating world of toddler communication.

When toddlers think adults don’t get what they’re saying, they might keep doing the same action over and over. To help with this, Dr. Lisa Pion-Berlin, a parenting expert and CEO of a parenting support group called Parents Anonymous, says parents should take a look at what their child is trying to show them and react to it accordingly. If you seem to get it wrong, try again.

“Toddlers are learning how to communicate, so they may not always express themselves clearly,” she says. “Give them time to respond and show patience while they try to form their thoughts.”

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In an ideal world, the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s should be full of friends and family, good food and general merriment. In reality, for folks who have toxic family members, the holidays can be rife with tension, stress and general opposite-of-merriment—whether your brother turns everything into a competition (not the fun kind), your mom has not the slightest clue what the word boundaries means or there are always strings attached when it comes to your sister-in-law. If any of those examples ring bells, I’ve got you. I checked in with two mental health pros, Janet Bayramyan, LCSW, and Dr. Lisa Pion-Berlin, ACSW, ACHT, for their tips for keeping it together during this supposed-to-be-festive time of year if it’s inevitable you’ll be dealing with toxic people.

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Dr. Lisa Pion-Berlin, is a licensed hypnotherapist and CEO of Parents Anonymous®. She is a mother who has devoted her 33-year career to supporting the empowerment journey of parents and caregivers. Through her leadership at Parents Anonymous, she also oversees the California Parent & Youth Helpline and National Parent & Youth Helpline which provides immediate emotional support to parents, caregivers, and youth through calls, chats and texting. In Dr. Lisa’s voice here is the most present challenge in her work: “As a professional, but also as a mother and advocate, my deepest goal is to help as many parents and youth as possible—every single one of them deserves the support they need to thrive. With over 170 million parents and young people in our country, there’s such an urgent need for mental health resources and strong support systems, and my mission is to be there for them. But right now, the biggest challenge is securing enough federal funding to expand our services and reach more families. While we’ve made strides in raising awareness, it’s a constant struggle to get the necessary resources from those in power to truly make an impact on a larger scale. Every day, I wake up thinking about how we can do more, and it’s that drive that keeps me pushing forward, despite the obstacles.”

This week on the Parenting Help Podcast, we’re honored to host Dr. Lisa Pion-Berlin, CEO of Parents Anonymous and an esteemed expert in family strengthening and parent advocacy.

In this episode, Dr. Pion-Berlin shares:
✅ Evidence-based approaches to fostering stronger family connections
✅ The transformative role of Parents Anonymous in empowering caregivers
✅ Practical strategies for navigating complex parenting challenges

Drawing on decades of research and experience, Dr. Pion-Berlin offers valuable perspectives for parents, educators, and professionals invested in family well-being.

In this episode of the ADHD Goals podcast, host Laurence talks with Dr. Lisa Pion Berlin, a clinical hypnotherapist, social worker, and CEO of Parents Anonymous. Dr. Lisa discusses her work advocating for parents, children, and youth facing mental health challenges, emphasising the importance of shared leadership and community support. The conversation covers the barriers parents face in getting appropriate ADHD support for their children and the need for effective partnerships between schools and families. Dr. Lisa also shares insights on the role of hypnotherapy in managing ADHD and offers practical advice for parents dealing with multi-generational ADHD diagnoses.

Listen to the podcast