Mad River Behavioral Health

Our dedication is to the whole child.  Our interest extends to the child’s family, neighborhood, school, and community.  Each child’s well-being is contingent on the well-being of the extended network surrounding and supporting their growth. Our interest in the whole child includes their well-rounded and well-balanced development.  We must attend to each area of need and support carefully weighted, balanced, and multi-dimensional growth: music, art, sports, friendship, family, hobbies and interests, academic achievement, ethical and spiritual well-being.  No one area can be allowed to consume our attention at the expense of another area.  We must remain flexible and responsive to the child’s needs. We must nurture each child’s strengths and carefully attend to their weaknesses. Elements of Character, Development, and a Healthy Lifestyle:  Honesty Creative Well-being Cooperation / Teamwork Physical Well-being Work Emotional Well...

Copyright All rights reserved by  Ken Little - New Hampshire “Good Judgement comes from experience, 90% of which is based on bad judgement.” (source unknown) This wisdom was taped to the kitchen cupboard in my family's kitchen throughout my adolescent years. I’m convinced it was my mother’s survival mantra; her daily reassurance that all would be well in the future, that all of the mistakes I made were guiding me toward developing good judgment. It worked and I did, but to be perfectly honest, my survival was not assured by any stretch of the imagination. Things could very easily have turned out differently, very badly in fact. Things did turn out badly for many young people growing up at the same time.  Too many of my peers during high school and in the years shortly after died, but many more were impacted by lasting and often debilitating injuries, for example: skiing dangerously, jumping off cliffs into quarries, driving dangerously, and using drugs...

Excerpted from Ken's Parenting Guide Leadership Parents are the leaders of the family. Parents lead children in growth and development toward adulthood. Parents lead by example.  Leadership is not power.  Leadership is wisdom. Vision / Long Term Desired Outcome In order to lead, parents need to have a sense of what their long-term desired outcome is. As a parent, what are you trying to accomplish in raising children? Having a good sense of the desired outcome will help you navigate through difficulties more effectively. Keep the big picture and the long-term plan in mind. Don't get lost in the small stuff, the immediate challenges. Know Your Family's Value System Keep your value system at the forefront of your parenting effort. Write it down. Talk with your children about your values. Parents instill values in their children gradually over time. Live according to your value system. Guide accordingly. Keep the Whole Child in Mind Often as pa...