Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best age to begin using your program?
The program outlined in Dr. Whitley’s book, Bright Minds, Poor Grades, and this website is aimed at kids from fourth grade through adulthood. It depends on the child, but Dr. Whitley has used elements of this program to help kids who were in kindergarten. He has also used many elements of the program to help adults overcome their own difficulties with achievement. Without much modification, the program as written in his book may be used with kids between 4th grade and high school.
I believe I’ll need help to implement your program with my 9th grader, but we don’t live near Dr. Whitley’s city. How can I find experts on his program here in my hometown?
First of all, you may be underestimating yourself. Many parents have sent letters and emails to Dr. Whitley expressing their happiness in helping their children overcome ingrained underachievement patterns using the book and other materials supplied on this website. Read the book, listen to the various podcasts, and give yourself some time to get used to employing the system. It always takes time and patience, as Dr. Whitley has written, but with persistence, the severity of symptoms and consequences of poor motivation and underachievement can be lessened and overcome by applying his program consistently over time.
Secondly, it is true that mental health professionals in your hometown can be very helpful, even if they are not experts in working with underachievement. Sometimes kids suffer from other related problems, such as depression or low self-esteem and communication problems that a professional can help you work through.
Look for a professional who has doctoral training in psychology or has experience in working with underachievers. It is better if the professional has about 10 years of private practice experience working with relatively normal adolescents who are not severely mentally ill and are not drug-soaked kids in need of intensive programs to get them off drugs. Sometimes professionals who are not used to working with underachievers will not even recognize what you are going through. Finally, if the professional is willing to contact Dr. Whitley or read through his book, that will likely prove helpful as well. Regardless, at a minimum, the professional should be willing to listen to you and take you seriously. The professional has to have patience and some staying power to work through difficult cases.
Dr. Whitley has worked with families in other locations by using the technology provided by the Internet. Video conferencing has been a particularly good vehicle, but parents from around the country have used telephone conferences, email exchanges, and even instant messaging to share information with Dr. Whitley and gain valuable advice. Some of these families who have consulted with Dr. Whitley have also remained in primary treatment with another mental health professional in their hometown.
How long does it take make things better?
It often takes a school year to turn many chronic underachievers around. For some, it may take a little longer. Others may get better within one semester. Underachievement is complex. There are many self-defeating attitudes and emotional states underachievers have recruited to their minds over the years. The longer they have been practicing the attitudes, feelings, thoughts, and behavior of poor motivation, poor effort, and poor grades, the more ingrained this behavior comes and the more likely you, the parents, will need persistence, time, and patience to promote the positive changes your child needs. Further, don’t forget, it is also we parents who inadvertently reinforce the very behavior and attitudes that need changing. This is why Dr. Whitley invented and refined his program over the years of his practice, so that his system can be learned and used by others. He has often said, “it is not the child who will change first, it is us parents who will set the stage for their positive changes by what we do differently in helping them.”
How do we make an appointment with Dr. Whitley?
You may call him at 713-772-2980. You may also email him at drmdwhitley@aol.com. All information exchanged with Dr. Whitley is strictly confidential.
For Internet services, contact Dr. Whitley as above. For purposes of Internet consultations, Dr. Whitley practices in the State of Texas and is licensed by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists. The rules of practice for the State of Texas apply, especially the rules regarding patient confidentiality, which are some of the strongest in the nation, equaling or exceeding the new federal HIPPA standards. |
