Dr. Richfield gives children means to control behavior
By Betsy Gilliland
Colonial Profile
July 1998

From the pitchback in the front yard to the below-regulation-height basketball goal along the driveway to the mammoth wooden play set in the fenced-in back yard, a visit to the home-based practice of Dr. Steven Richfield, a Norristown child psychologist, indicates that he is a professional who knows his craft.
Although he sees many patients who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, "Dr. Steve" has devised a system to help all children - and their parents -get through the tough times when a child's world starts spinning out of control. The proactive system takes the form of "Parent Coaching Cards," a laminated set of 20 colorful , four-by-six index cards. Bound together by a metal ring, the cards feature a problem statement and a cartoon illustration on one side and a kid-friendly "talk-to-yourself" message on the back. Also included are an instructional book for parents and a coloring book to reinforce the concepts for younger children.

Richfield first developed the cards two years ago when he was working with a young girl. During a counseling session, Lauren McMakin, then 10 years old, suggested, "why don't you write down what you just told me on a card." Richfield took his patient’s advice. The Parent Coaching Cards were born, giving children tangible reminders to Know When To Back Off, Repair The Tear, and Step Into Your Cantaloupe Skin. "They needed to take something with them so they could help themselves," explains the soft-spoken psychologist.

Lauren's favorite card, "Don't Take The Bait", reads in part, "Life is filled with all sorts of situations that may lead to trouble...Maybe someone calls you a name or dares you to follow them into bad behavior...I have to be on the look out so I don't get baited into behaving badly. Getting baited can happen anytime, anywhere - and with anybody...Do not follow the other person's lead...Give yourself time to think it through some more, or to talk the situation over with someone you trust. Don't take the bait!" She often took the set of cards to school with her for easy reference when she needed to handle a difficult situation. Now, however, says Lauren, "they're pretty much in my brain."

The cards are designed to help children "manage their impulses and to make good social choices," Richfield says. By allowing the parent to adopt the role of "coach" rather than "police," the two parties can work together as a team to achieve the same goal. "Parents have to become an active part in the process," stresses Richfield. "The cards can limit the duration of therapy...when the parents are reinforcing the skills at home."

Many parents find the information useful in their own lives as well. The cards help in situations ranging from controlling temper tantrums (by children and parents) to dispelling fears of a booster shot. "It gives you a starting point," says Macungie resident Diane McMakin. "I'm using them a lot myself for dealing with (my daughter) in situations," says Ellin Hlebik of Worcester, "I read them to myself. I read them out loud...We take them everywhere."

She believes that it is important for her daughter, Julie, 11, to see her use the cards. Once when she lost her temper, Hlebik says, Julie "turned into the coach." Using the language on the cards, mother and daughter were able to communicate with each other to regain control over a difficult situation. "The hardest and last part, of course, is the usage in the situation," Hlebik admits. "Can you put on your cantaloupe skin at the right moment?" Using the cards whenever she needs them, Julie says, "I like the way they have a 'talk to yourself' message that helps you know what to do, and I like the pictures on the front, too."

The Parent Coaching Cards gained national and international attention in April 1997 when world-renowned ADHD expert, Dr. Russell Barkley of Massachusetts, invited Richfield to contribute an article to the ADHD Report. His paper, "Parent Coaching Cards: A System For Guiding Children Toward Behavioral Success," led to requests for the cards from around the world. After this overwhelming response, Richfield engaged a graphic designer to upgrade the 10 "homemade" text-only cards to the kid-friendly product currently available. In May of this year he expanded the set to 20 cards.

The cards feature five children - two girls and three boys - of different nationalities. As he refined the illustrations, Richfield says, he would show them to his patients. Some of these children's suggestions ended up in the final versions. His 8-year-old son Jeremy also offered valuable input in the design of the cards. "I helped with how the characters should move," Jeremy says. "In the Think And Plan Ahead Card, I told my dad for the girl to have her arm at her chin to look like she's thinking." He also came up with the idea to use stairs on the Slow To Success card, he adds.

The text is divided into two sections - an explanation of when a skill is needed and a "talk-to-yourself" message to reinforce the implementation of the skill. Despite the worldwide attention the cards have received, Richfield says, "my goal is to get them into the classroom so the kids can learn these skills in a friendly way...and parents can follow up with them." The cards, he says, are suited for guidance counseling curriculum to serve as a bridge between instruction at home and at school.

Although the system primarily is geared to children in the third through eighth grades, younger children can benefit from the cards as well. Parents often record the messages for nonreaders on cassettes. Younger children's interest in the cards led to the development of the coloring book. "The younger kids would say, 'can I color that in?'" Richfield notes. With perforated pages ideally suited to remove and post in a conspicuous location, the coloring book serves as a further reminder for younger children to use the skills.

While Richfield and his wife, Caryn, also a psychologist, use the cards with Jeremy and their other son, Jesse, 5, Jeremy has been known to employ the techniques with his friends. "When they're getting too rowdy at my house when I invite them over," explains Jeremy, "I tell them to use the card, Find The Brakes."