Dr. Leigh Weisz is the Founder of Coping Partners, a mental health clinic. As a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice, she was on staff and affiliated with The Family Institute at Northwestern University for several years. She has experience working with children, adolescents, families, and individual adults in areas such as child and adolescent family therapy, grief and loss, and relationship issues.

Dr. Weisz earned her graduate degree in clinical psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology with a specialty in children and families. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and Spanish from the University of Michigan, having graduated with honors. Dr. Weisz has practiced in community mental health, hospitals, and outpatient family medicine practice settings.

Parenting through big emotions can feel overwhelming, especially when children and teens are coping with anxiety, grief, self-doubt, or social discomfort. While parents naturally want to remove distress as quickly as possible, children often benefit most from learning how to understand their feelings, regulate their bodies, and move through difficult experiences with support. What practical insights can families gain from experts who help young people build lifelong coping skills?

Five experts offer practical strategies for responding to physical concerns, emotional distress, anxiety, and negative thinking. Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum emphasizes being thorough when assessing children's physical discomforts. Dr. Debra Kissen recommends practicing square breathing to calm the fight-or-flight response. Dr. Leigh Weisz encourages parents to let children process sadness and grief instead of rushing to remove it. Dr. Danielle Doucette suggests helping anxious teens practice more open, friendly social signals. Leslie Randolph advises replacing negative thoughts with realistic, supportive self-talk. These strategies help young people build stronger coping skills and confidence.

In this episode of The Coping Podcast, Dr. Leigh Weisz brings together Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum, Dr. Debra Kissen, Dr. Danielle Doucette, and Leslie Randolph to share practical strategies for managing physical discomfort and anxiety, processing difficult emotions, and developing healthier self-talk. Their insights offer parents, caregivers, and educators actionable ways to help children and teens build emotional awareness, confidence, resilience, and effective coping skills.

Dr. Leigh Weisz is the Founder of Coping Partners, a mental health clinic. As a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice, she was on staff and affiliated with The Family Institute at Northwestern University for several years. She has experience working with children, adolescents, families, and individual adults in areas such as child and adolescent family therapy, grief and loss, and relationship issues.

Dr. Weisz earned her graduate degree in clinical psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology with a specialty in children and families. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and Spanish from the University of Michigan, having graduated with honors. Dr. Weisz has practiced in community mental health, hospitals, and outpatient family medicine practice settings.

It's easy for parenting to become a calendar-management job: practices, homework, carpools, reminders, meals, screens, and one more thing that needs to get done. Underneath all of that busyness is a quieter question many parents carry: how do we raise kids who are not just successful, but kind, grounded, and capable?

According to Dr. Leigh Weisz, a child psychologist and parent of two, the answer starts with aligning what parents say they value with what children experience day to day. She explains that kindness, resilience, and independence are built through ordinary moments: asking targeted questions at dinner, inviting kids to help with household work, letting them feel disappointment, and resisting the urge to rescue them too quickly. When parents model their values, let kids contribute, and step back enough for them to grow, children begin to see themselves as helpful, capable people who can handle life's ups and downs.

In this episode of The Coping Podcast, Dr. Leigh Weisz discusses how parents can raise kind, grounded, and capable kids. She explains why values need matching daily behaviors, how modeling kindness shapes what children absorb, and why chores and family contribution build confidence. Dr. Weisz also shares advice on stepping back so kids can face discomfort, practice independence, and grow.

Dr. Danielle Doucette is the Chief Strategy Officer and Managing Partner at Midwest Counseling & Diagnostics, an organization that provides specialized behavioral therapies and psychological services in the Chicago area. As a licensed clinical psychologist and a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS-S), Dr. Doucette is recognized for her expertise in exposure and response prevention for OCD, radically open dialectical behavior therapy (RO-DBT), and evidence-based treatments for anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. She is also involved in public health and has contributed to prominent publications on mental health topics.

Some teens seem to glide through adolescence with perfect grades, packed schedules, and spotless behavior. On the surface, everything looks fine — admirable, even. What happens when the traits that make a teen "successful" also keep them silently struggling, unable to share what's really going on?

According to Dr. Danielle Doucette, a clinical psychologist specializing in behavioral therapies, many high-achieving teens aren't acting out at all; they're turning inward. She believes these teens often rely on extreme self-control, rigid routines, and emotional reserve to manage their anxiety. Drawing from her experience working with adolescents who fit this "overcontrolled" profile, Dr. Doucette explains that their perfectionism and strong academic or athletic performance can disguise deep loneliness, fear of vulnerability, and escalating internal distress. She emphasizes that helping these teens soften, open up, and connect with others can be life-changing, not because it alters who they are, but because it allows them to thrive rather than simply cope.

In this episode of The Coping Podcast, Dr. Leigh Weisz is joined by Dr. Danielle Doucette, Chief Strategy Officer and Managing Partner at Midwest Counseling & Diagnostics, to discuss how to support perfectionistic, high-achieving teens. They explore the hidden struggles of overcontrolled adolescents, the signs that often go unnoticed, and why traditional DBT doesn't always meet their needs. Dr. Doucette also gives advice on practical skills teens can use to build more meaningful relationships.