Dr. Julie Robinson, president of the Las Vegas Therapy Center and author of Parents, Please! Stop Spanking Your Children: Physical Discipline Isn’t the Best Way, recently appeared on the Watching Mental Health podcast, hosted by Katie Rose Waechter. The episode, titled Breaking Therapy and Mental Health Care Down to the Basics, covered Robinson’s career background, some mental health basics and one key strategy from her new book.
When discussing her new book on the podcast, Robinson acknowledged how today’s stresses are unique for parents, and patience can quickly be compromised. But that doesn’t mean physical discipline is the answer. In her book, Robinson explains how disciplining a child physically does more harm than good. Instead parents need to assess their own emotions before resorting to spanking their children.
Robinson said parents need to take “chill out” periods when angry with their child. She outlines five steps – pause, breathe, ask, listen and reframe – to help. Pausing and taking a breath instead of reacting to a situation is key, she noted.
“People will say, ‘well, it’s an automatic reaction, I can’t pause,’ but you’re the only one who can do it and you have to do it,” Robinson told Waechter. “When you take a deep breath, you genuinely change your physiology and you can then start to see the situation a new way.”
Robinson also discussed signs a person’s mental health concerns are severe enough to seek out help. Sleep difficulty and anxiousness to the point where there’s an inability to function in work or daily life are some key signs “or also if you are finding yourself not being able to control your heightened automatic reactions and being angry or yelling at the kids or yelling at your partner,” she added.
On the podcast, Robinson also discussed her unique professional life. In addition to being a therapist for the past 26 years, she owns Undercover Productions, an entertainment production company. She says her business experience complements her mental health work.
“What I had found is that it (being a psychologist) was a lot like working in events, where you’re talking to people and it’s about human connection and you want to make someone feel comfortable,” she added.
Watch the episode at KatieRoseWaechter.com.
