Strengthening what goes right
Build the habit of catching and reinforcing positive behavior—attention, praise, and incentives used deliberately rather than in exhausted bursts.
Support for parents in Atlanta
For when the usual advice has stopped helping.
Structured, evidence-based work with parents of children with ADHD, oppositional or defiant behavior, and other behavioral difficulties—practical strategies for strengthening positive behavior, holding consistent expectations, and reducing conflict at home.
- Consultation
- The initial consultation is free and typically lasts 15 minutes. I will respond within 24 hours.
- Sessions
- In person in Atlanta, or telehealth for clients physically located in Georgia.
- Payment
- Private pay. Insurance is not accepted.
Alireza Ehteshami, Ph.D., Pre-Licensed Professional in Clinical Psychology, practicing under the supervision of Craig Kerley, Psy.D., Georgia license PSY002840.
Where therapy can begin
Loving your child and dreading the next battle can both be true at the same time.
By the time parents seek help, they have usually tried a great deal: sticker charts, consequences, taking away the tablet, long talks, being stricter, being softer. When a child’s attention and behavior work differently, strategies that seem to work for other families can fail repeatedly—and it is easy to conclude that you are the problem.
Behavioral parent training, also called parent management training, starts somewhere else: with the patterns between parent and child that keep difficult moments repeating, and with small, specific changes that shift them. It is among the best-supported approaches for ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, and other behavioral difficulties in children—and it works through the person a child’s daily life actually depends on: you.
Your clinician
I earned my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Emory University and completed an APA-accredited predoctoral internship through Emory University School of Medicine’s Child, Adolescent & Young Adult Psychiatry program.
I am completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Perimeter Mood & Anxiety Program. I draw from evidence-based treatments including CBT, ACT, and DBT, selecting methods according to each person’s needs rather than applying a single formula.
Supervision
I am a Pre-Licensed Professional in Clinical Psychology. I provide clinical services under the supervision of Craig Kerley, Psy.D., a licensed psychologist in Georgia, license number PSY002840.
What this work focuses on
Sessions are with you, the parent. The work is concrete: specific situations, specific responses, and adjustments reviewed week to week.
Expectations that hold
Set clear, realistic expectations and follow through consistently, so limits stop depending on your energy or the volume of the argument.
Fewer escalations
Change the sequence of the recurring battles—mornings, homework, screens, bedtime—so conflict stops being the household’s default setting.
How I work
The goal is not perfect parenting. It is a pattern the whole house can live inside.
This work draws from behavioral parent training approaches—among the most extensively researched psychosocial treatments for ADHD-related and disruptive behavior in children. We meet without your child present, look closely at how specific difficult moments unfold, and build a plan you can actually run on a tired Tuesday evening. My training includes child and adolescent work through Emory University School of Medicine’s Child, Adolescent & Young Adult Psychiatry program.
Specific moments, not general advice
We work on the actual flashpoints in your week—named, unpacked, and rehearsed—rather than debating parenting philosophy.
Consistency over intensity
Small responses delivered predictably outperform big reactions delivered occasionally. The plan is built to be sustainable.
Warmth and limits together
This is not about becoming stricter or more permissive. It is about becoming more predictable—so warmth and limits stop competing with each other.
Common questions
If your question is not covered here, you are welcome to bring it to our initial conversation.
Does my child attend the sessions?
No—this work is with parents, and sessions do not require your child to attend. That is not a workaround: parent-directed work is how behavioral parent training is designed, and for many childhood behavioral difficulties it is the approach with the strongest evidence. If your child or teen may also benefit from services of their own, we can discuss appropriate options.
Is this parenting coaching, or therapy?
It is clinical work with a defined focus: changing the interaction patterns that keep behavioral difficulties going. Along the way there is room for what parenting this hard actually brings up—frustration, guilt, disagreement between caregivers—because those directly affect whether a plan survives the week.
Can this help with oppositional or defiant behavior?
Yes. Parent management training is one of the most established approaches for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and for the arguing, refusal, and power struggles that wear a family down whether or not anyone has used that label. The focus is the same: how the hardest moments unfold at home, and the specific, consistent responses that make them less frequent and less intense.
Does my child need an ADHD diagnosis before we start?
No diagnosis is required. If mornings, homework, screens, or bedtime routinely end in conflict, the pattern itself is enough to work on. If a fuller evaluation or additional support for your child seems warranted, I will say so directly and help you find it.
How long does this usually take?
Behavioral parent training is typically structured and time-limited—a span of weeks to a few months rather than open-ended therapy. We set concrete goals early, track whether home life is actually changing, and adjust or conclude based on what the week-to-week evidence shows.
Begin with a brief conversation
The initial consultation is free and typically lasts 15 minutes. I will respond within 24 hours. This form does not ask for clinical or medical information.
- Practice
- Perimeter Mood & Anxiety Program
- Telehealth
- For clients physically located in Georgia
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