Michael Y. Simon
Psychotherapist, Author and Parent Educator Practical Help for Parents
Social
Biography
Michael's adult life has been enlivened by creating and maintaining public-private endeavors to help discover, promote and respect the potentials and abilities of children, youth and family. He is widely considered an expert on adolescents and adolescent development and is the founder of Practical Help for Parents, a support organization for those parents, educators, mental health professionals and policymakers who work daily with teens.
Michael has both an intensive and broad background in clinical psychology, adolescent development, religious studies and philosophy, teaching at both the university- and high-school level. He has worked as a school counselor at Bay Area independent schools (Bentley and Marin Academy), as a parent educator (at Parents' Place in Marin), co-director of The Marina Counseling Center in San Francisco and long-time Executive Director of the San Francisco Psychotherapy Research Group. He has been in private practice for close to 17 years and specializes in working with adolescents and their families, although he also sees adult individuals, couples, families and children.
In 2012 he completed work on The Approximate Parent: Discovering the Strategies That Work with Your Teenager (Fine Optics Press, 2012). Thomas De Zengotita, award-winning author of Mediated: How the Media Shapes Our World and the Way We Live in It, called Michael's work "a brilliant synthesis of theory and practice, of research and application that aims directly at how teenagers actually live in this mediated world.”
Industry Expertise
Areas of Expertise
Education
San Francisco State University
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Clinical Psychology
1987
San Francisco State University
M.S.
Clinical Psychology
1996
Temple University
M.A.
Religious Studies/Philosophy
1991
Affiliations
- Clinical Member; California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT); Learning Disabilities Association of America; Learning Disabilities Association of California; CHADD of Northern California (Children and Adults with ADHD); International C
- American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy
Testimonials
Anthropologist, educator
New York University / The Dalton School
“If you are the parent of a teenager and you are paying any attention at all, you know that, besides dealing with the classic adolescent issues, your child is negotiating an environment that has been radically redefined by the new media—the Internet, iPhone, Facebook world. If you are at all self-aware, you probably realize that you don’t understand that environment very well. There are plenty of media experts out there and plenty of parenting experts too – maybe too many - but, in Michael Simon, you have someone whose life’s work has been in media theory and adolescent development. He has mastered the literature in both fields and has been putting it all to work as a high school counselor and therapist for almost 20 years.
Co-Chair
Council on Contemporary Families
"Michael Simon knows more about teenagers than anyone I know. For years, he has been helping parents all over the United States in his popular speaking series on parenting adolescents. "
Head of School
Brentwood School
'Michael has the gift of explaining, in straightforward language, seemingly impenetrable adolescent behaviors to both parents and teachers alike."
Event Appearances
The Approximate Parent: Discovering the Strategies That Work with Your Teenager
Book Launch for The Approximate Parent Books Inc., Berkeley, California
2011-08-02
Relationships, "Hook-Ups" and the Sexual Culture
Conference on Teens and Sexuality San Rafael, California
2009-01-28
When Teens See Only One Way to Stop the Pain: Responding to Adolescent Suicidality
Half-Day Conference on Suicidality The Bay School, San Francisco
2011-12-06
Adolescent Development: A Meaningful Primer for Educators
Faculty In-Service Training Redwood Day School
2008-11-05
Boundaries and Confidentiality for Educators
Faculty In-Service Training Redwood Day School
2008-10-01
Research-Based Best Practices on Parenting Teens
Invited Workshop University of California, Berkeley
2012-02-29
There is More Than One Way of Being Successful at Life
Keynote Address: Senior Graduation Miramonte High School, Walnut Creek, California
2008-05-09
What Good is Failing? Or…How to Help When Your Teen Feels That ‘Life Sucks!'
Parent Education Evening Sonoma Academy, Santa Rosa, CA
2010-04-22
Understanding Your Middle-School Child
Workshop for The Creek Youth Center The Seven Hills School
2012-10-09
Alcohol, Drugs and Parties: Approximating Good Interventions
Parent Education Evening Jewish Community High School of the Bay
2012-05-03
Does My Teen Have Good Mental Health?
Bay Area Parents' Coalition Keynote French-American International School
2013-01-04
A Practical Guide to High School: A Year-by-Year Guide for Parents on What To Expect
Keynote Talk Acalanes High School, Lafayette
2008-10-02
Rebel Without A Cause: Is Adolescent "Rebellion" Really Necessary?
Wellness Center Workshop for Faculty and Staff University of California, Berkeley
2011-03-09
Understanding the Adolescent Mind
Invited Talk Maui Prep Academy, Maui, HI
2010-12-01
Responding to School Crisis: An Approach to Managing Traumatic Events in the School
Invited Talk Marin Academy, San Rafael, CA
2011-08-18
Beyond Parental Control(s): How Digital Media are Changing The Ways Your Teens Think and Feel
Invited Talk College Preparatory School, Oakland, California
2012-02-08
Teens, Drugs and Parties
YPO (Young Presidents' Organization) Conference on "The Hidden Logic of Teens" Half Moon Bay, California (Ritz Carlton)
2009-10-22
Sample Talks
Teens, Alcohol, Drugs, and Parties: A New Way of Understanding
It’s a rare day that parents of teens don’t wonder about drugs and parties. Most parents want to know specific information about what they should tell their adolescents in order not to have them do certain things (e.g., go to a party, smoke too much, get drunk, not have unsafe sex or not have sex at all). This workshop will let you know just what is at stake in dealing with the issues of parties and drugs--and give you a new, helpful framework for understanding adolescent risk-taking.
Style
Availability
- Keynote
- Moderator
- Panelist
- Workshop Leader
- Author Appearance
