Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW
Gary Direnfeld is a social worker and expert on matters of family life. Courts in Ontario, Canada, have deemed Gary an expert on child development, parent-child relations, marital and family therapy, custody and access recommendations, social work and an expert for the purpose of giving a critique on a Section 112 (social work) report.
Services include counselling, mediation, assessments, assessment critiques and workshops. Go to his website to read his many articles and view clips of television and radio appearances: www.yoursocialworker.com
Children and the Aftermath of Katrina: From fear to hope
In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, many children will be hiding under the covers. When tragedies such as Katrina strike, children, like many of us adults, have no way to understand the unimaginable. It is normal to be frightened of life threatening events. Also like us adults, children do best with certainty, predictability and stability [...] Read More >
Four Tips To Building Self Esteem In Children
Parents want their child to have good self-esteem. However, self-esteem doesn’t come naturally to children. It is something that must be fostered, developed, nurtured and grown. Following these four tips can help. Show them you value them Let your children know you love them. This is done through praise and through direct expressions of love, [...] Read More >
Think Your Teen Needs Counseling?
Counselling teens can be tricky business. The call is invariably from an exasperated parent who no longer can tolerate the behaviour of their son or daughter. The teen is presented as out of control. There may be concerns of drugs or alcohol; school performance; and/or the influence of the peer group. The teen may be [...] Read More >
Understanding teen driver car crashes and what parents can do
Aside from the first year of life, the first year of driving is the most dangerous year in a young person’s life. Teen driver car crashes are the leading cause of permanent injury and death in teens and the first year of driving is the most dangerous. Do you know how to protect your teen? [...] Read More >
What’s a Kid to Do When Parents Hate Each Other?
Sometimes the animosity between separated parents is so thick, you can cut it with a knife. In such cases both parents deflect blame on the other while denying or minimizing their own contribution to conflict. In some instances the allegations of both parents are unfounded. The parents are like oil and fire and simply do [...] Read More >
Who’s in Charge Anyways?
It’s not uncommon to find parents and grandparents living together with everyone minding the young. In fact, by many cultures, this is a very normal situation that works well for everyone. It tends to work best when everyone knows his or her place and it is clear who is responsible for what. For other families [...] Read More >