Cathi Cohen

“I feel like I live on my own planet, and everyone else lives on this one!”

I will never forget those words. In 1990, 8-year-old Eric poignantly described the pain and loneliness he experienced with his peers. He worked diligently in one-on-one therapy with me to learn the skills he needed to make and keep friends, but every week he said the same thing: “I know you like me. And my parents love me. But the kids in my class don’t. I just don’t know why.”

Eric was not alone. Virtually all of the kids I saw in one-on-one therapy told me stories about being bullied, feeling isolated and left out, and wanting desperately to have a friend. Yet they struggled to take what they learned in sessions with me and apply it in the real world, so they remained lonely and distressed. My first book, "Raise Your Child's Social IQ" was inspired by children like Eric. He inspired in me a keen desire to help lonely children gain confidence and learn new ways to interact successfully with their peers—in effect, to raise their social IQs.

Early into the process of working with kids in groups, I recognized that children cannot do it alone. Parents are vital to their children's social and emotional development. "Raise Your Parenting IQ: Moving From I've Had It to I've Got This" is a workbook for parents. My co-author, Dara Adams, and I hope that this book will inspire parents to take stock of their own successes as a parent and work to build on their already existing strengths.

As a psychotherapist, I have worked with hundreds of kids, teens and adults in groups. My passion for group therapy paved the way for "Outnumbered, Not Outsmarted: An A-Z Guide to Working with Kids and Teens in Groups" and highlights simple strategies and tips for group leaders who want to work with kids more effectively.