Read what others have to say about the impact Debbie Elder had on their lives!

Sandra Flarity Richmond, TX
“We now have a happy, well-adjusted, and confident teen - no more angry outbursts or negativity. Each week we find ourselves saying ”Now wouldn’t Ms. Debbie be proud of us!”

Judy Tully Toronto, Ont
“Debbie’s holistic approach to the family was patient, very positive, and encouraging, yet still provided tools we could use daily to assist our teens in becoming more personally responsible, positive, and successful.”

Sharon Wiser, Houston, TX
“Set Them up for Success” did more for our daughter’s organizational skills and self confidence than all the other programs combined! Debbie was able to remove the mask of self doubt and the weight of under achievement.”
Thanks Debbie,

Shawn Vicknair Owner of Gateway America Private School Sugar Land TX
“Her motivation techniques, no nonsense
approach, push for independence, and student ownership has changed the face of my school and most importantly, the success level of my students. No more tears, no more struggles - just productive, respectful, happy, motivated teens!”

Dr. Tim Cashion Sugar Land, TX
“Often, my natural reaction to a parenting situation would be ineffective. With Debbie’s help, I
learned skills that seem counterintuitive, but they
work. She lays out clear and concise techniques that anyone can follow. I even use her suggestions for my employees.
Thanks again, Debbie!”

Steven Kooper Richmond, TX
Have you ever watched “Super Nanny” or “The Dog Whisperer”? In essence they are the same program. If you haven’t seen either program, typical episodes develop something like this: two parents are having difficulty with a child. The chaos is to the point where the dog misbehaves in many circumstances, chasing and pushing other children around the playground, or snapping at other people while out on the daily w.a.l.k. (never say that out loud in the presence of dogs, unless you plan on going for a trip around the neighborhood) The parents, in futility, turn to Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, to have him visit the family to observe the family dynamic before making any judgments or adjustments to the dog’s behavior. Following her observation period, Jo Frost, Super Nanny, renders her judgment, and works her magic to bring peace to the family. After the offending behavior has been corrected, both Stars will often revisit their respective families to ensure the behavior is has remained corrected.

If the above synopsis sounds confusing, the premise behind both television programs is that there is undesirable behavior that needs correcting and that there is a behavior specialist that is brought in to fix the “problem.” It doesn’t really matter that one specialist understands human behavior and the family dynamic while the other understands dog behavior and the family dynamic. What matters is that the specialists’ objective nature enables them to accurately assess the underlying behavioral problem so that modifications can be made for a positive, symbiotic outcome.

So, what does this have to do with your family? Well, a lot. If your family is typical, from time to time, it suffers from strained family dynamics. This is normal. Whew. I bet for a minute there you were worried your family wasn’t “normal.” But, what I mean by normal is that it is all too common and often so demanding that the family has difficulty existing. The good news is that your family doesn’t have to be normal. It is possible to have an uncommon family dynamic where the family can grow to be peaceful, cooperative, grateful, respectful, reciprocating, encouraged, confident, and successful.

How do I know this is possible? Simply put, I’ve observed it and participated in it for nearly ten years and I’ve never seen a more distinctly different approach to family and interpersonal relationships. I’ve never seen a more cooperative family that live to see each other succeed, help each other to succeed, is successful on a daily basis. That, I think was the key … on a daily basis: encouragement, respect, gratitude … every day. That’s what I observed.

So what do the Dog Whisperer and Super Nanny have to do with any of this? What I didn’t tell you earlier was that rarely are the behavioral adjustments strictly for the children, or the dog. Often, all family members (dogs included) must modify their behavior so that the proper environment can be created where the family unit can prosper. Mrs. Debbie Elder is such a behavioral specialist and the family I briefly discussed above, is hers. What sets her apart is that she has demonstrated that a successful family is a matter of positive, daily interaction and, that it’s a choice.

Like all things in life, it takes understanding, practice and perseverance to mold your life. So it is with the endeavor called family. If you believe that your family has greater potential, but need some objective guidance, I encourage you to take the time to visit with Deb.

Betsy DeVega Owner of KnILE Pre Academy Sugar Land, TX
Debbie Elder’s workshops are so effective and informative that we, at LearningRx, have invited her to host several workshops for us. I have sat in all of the seminars she has hosted here and can say without hesitation that I have learned something new or reviewed something important that I had forgotten to implement. She uses highly effective techniques and examples to demonstrate her presentations. Her presentations speak to you, not above or through you. She truly has the whole family’s best interest at heart and offers tools that rear success for all parties involved. Debbie is a fantastic speaker; I highly recommend her workshops for anyone in need of motivation and organizational tools whether in school or the corporate world. Her tools are very easy to adopt and extremely useful.

Wendy H. Katy, TX
Debbie Elder provided upbeat, positive coaching and tools to my family for dealing with issues of personal responsibility, positive attitude and goal setting with a learning disabled teenager. Every child has to learn to deal with loosing a game or getting a bad grade, but kids like mine often have so many negative events in a day that they loose the ability to learn from them, which is so vital to success. They go into a “duck and cover” mode, building up anger while lowering their own aspirations. In my child’s case, this resulted in a negative attitude towards academic abilities, the rewards of goal setting, and learning from (rather than running from) mistakes. Debbie was able to encourage a better attitude and appreciation for small improvements which over time became larger ones.
She taught my child the advantages of goal setting and appreciation of goals met. As a parent, I also benefited from coaching on encouraging positive behaviors (rather than consequences for negative behaviors) and allowing more natural consequences for mistakes which were recoverable, the “teachable moments”. Debbie’s holistic approach to the family was patient, very positive and encouraging while providing tools we could use daily to assist our child in becoming more personally responsible, positive and successful.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Murski Richmond, TX
My family started working with Debbie Elder and ‘Set Them Up For Success’ in the fall of 2003. Debbie’s ability to connect with my children and help them to help themselves was so powerful. Both my husband and I started to notice changes right away. Our children were more confident, better organized, and quickly became far better students. I think every child deserves the opportunity to become a leader and to have the right coach to help them develop the necessary skills for a fulfilling and successful life. Thanks, Debbie!