Most kids respond to the traditional parenting methods -- discipline, motivators, natural consequences, blah blah blah. But some don't. So you visit therapists, psychiatrists, parenting coaches, blah blah blah. Nothing helps. You feel like shit for being such a failure as a parent, and life becomes pretty miserable. Anyone else been there? We went through the wringer with our older child (now 18 and beyond much help) but when we saw our younger child starting to go the same way (lying, stealing, disrespect, etc.) we were ready to try something different. Thank goodness we found Jim Kling. He is really different. For one thing, he comes to your house. He talks to the parents, not the child. He works from the outside in (the kid's environment) not the inside out (how the child feels). He walks you slowly, patiently, through his program that is so simple yet so foreign to us that the two of us (each with a master's degree) had to really work to bend our minds around it. Jim is entirely available by phone or email between sessions to walk you through specific situations or just clarify the rules. It's not cheap, but it works. It's worth every penny. Send me a PM if you have any questions. read more

Ric Shanks and the Alternative Teaching program helped our family beyond measure. We tried everything- parent coaching and counseling, medication and various therapies for our ADHD child, every book on oppositional and ADHD kids ever printed- nothing improved our home life very much or for very long. A counselor recommended Alternative Teaching to us, and it changed our lives for the better, and "better" is an understatement. The system taught us as parents how to take back control over what we will and will not tolerate without getting emotional or resentful. And it empowers our kids with a sense of choice over how to behave and what the consequences of those choices are. Ric has been 100% supportive and available any time we call, following up and working with us long after we had completed the program. There are no miracles out there- we still have to work at keeping our family functional. But Alternative Teaching is the only way that we have achieved results for our efforts. I second the prior reviewer who said that it was expensive but WORTH EVERY PENNY! We are so grateful. read more

Jim Kling has a carefully designed and flexible plan. He is supportive and caring. His intervention is unique. He comes into your home and focuses on parenting, and supports you as you learn to use the plan. read more

Don't waste your time and money. Neither Jim nor Ric are licensed mental health professionals or board certified behavioral analysts. They are behavioral "consultants." Their canned program is one size fits all. Jim created it himself. It's not evidence based treatment. Maybe it helps some kids. But it didn't help mine. read more

I am able to agree completely with the above review. There really is not much help for kids who need help due to ADHD. Talk therapy is not appropriate and ineffective and no one really gets how hard it is to parent these kids. For many it is physiological not behavioral to begin with and I agree with Lisa that you sit around feeling badly and start the routine all over again. Jim's associate, Ric, worked with me to get a grip on my kid's behavior and then gave us the tools to resolve other problems as they arise. Really I feel like he has saved us from the really bad problems that can come from not treating the behavior when it starts in a way that it actually can work! call them--you will be so grateful for your family again! read more

We called Jim Kling five years ago when we had problems with our son. Despite our best parenting efforts, he was frequently lying and stealing. Over the years we have consulted with a psychiatrist, two psychologists, two social workers, and several medical doctors about our son. He was diagnosed with Asperger's, ADHD and learning disabilities. While we received some helpful information and interventions, nobody helped as much as Jim did. We credit him for helping us turn our son around. Jim has a genius for what makes people tick. He was the one who recognized that a lot of our son's behavior was due to anxiety, even though it came out as opposition. He came up with strategies that worked over time to decrease the negative behaviors. Jim is great at problem solving, and saw past the details to identify the core issue. Another invaluable asset was that he liked working with us and liked our son. Jim recognized and encouraged us about the good things in our son, unlike many of the other professionals, who focused only on the negatives. Jim saw our son's potential and gave us hope that positive change would occur- and it did! My husband and I highly recommend Jim Kling. read more