Dr. Joel Ingersoll

02/17/2026

Parents — quick reality check:

If your student only gets work done when someone is reminding, checking, or hovering… that’s not motivation. That’s missing executive functioning structure.

Smart kids struggle when independence shows up before skills do.

If this sounds familiar, comment STRUCTURE and I’ll share one practical way to see where things break down (and what to do next).

02/04/2026

Parents — quick question:

Does your student know how to manage their time, stress, and workload independently… or have they just been getting by on reminders and pressure?

I just published a new post breaking down the 5 executive functioning skills students need before their next school year — whether they’re in middle school, high school, or heading to college.

These are the real-life skills that determine how smoothly the next transition goes.

Read it here:

Psychology and performance insights on mental health, parenting, executive functioning, and practical strategies to help students and families thrive.

01/08/2026

Tonight’s the night!

If your student struggled this fall — burnout, avoidance, shutdown, slipping grades, or trouble staying organized — tonight’s workshop will help you understand why and what to do next.

My free Parent Workshop is TONIGHT at 7PM ET.

You’ll walk away with:

✨ A roadmap for supporting your student without fixing
✨ Strategies to reduce shutdown and conflict
✨ Insights into the executive functioning gaps college never teaches
✨ Tools to help your student feel more confident heading into spring
✨ A clearer understanding of why motivation and follow-through collapse

If you’ve been hoping winter break would give you answers — this is your moment of clarity.

👉 Save your spot for tonight’s workshop
https://www.drjoelingersoll.com/Parent-workshop

See you this evening,
—Dr. Joel

Free Parent Workshop: Rebuild Confidence, Reconnect With Your Student, and Reset the Semester. Learn why students fall behind and the parent strategies that move them forward. You’ll learn how to assess academic readiness, avoidance behaviors, and support your student next semester.

01/06/2026

If you’ve been worried about how your student will handle spring semester… tomorrow’s workshop is for you.

Parents keep telling me the same things this week:

“My student is sleeping all day.”
“They can’t get organized.”
“They’re shut down about school.”
“I’m nervous next semester will be worse.”

These are classic signs of executive functioning overload — and most parents have never been shown how to spot it or support it.

That’s exactly why I’m hosting a free 90-minute Parent Workshop Thursday, January 8.

You’ll learn:

🧠 Why students burn out silently — and how EF breakdown drives avoidance
💬 How to talk to your student without triggering shutdown
🔍 The executive functioning skill gaps college never teaches
📈 How to help your student reset BEFORE returning to campus
🌱 A simple plan to boost motivation, resilience & independence

If you’ve been worried, frustrated, or unsure how to help — this session will give you clarity and confidence.

Reserve your seat for Thursday, Jan 8

Free Parent Workshop: Rebuild Confidence, Reconnect With Your Student, and Reset the Semester. Learn why students fall behind and the parent strategies that move them forward. You’ll learn how to assess academic readiness, avoidance behaviors, and support your student next semester.

01/03/2026

Has winter break shown you more than you expected about how your college student is really doing?

For many parents, the past week has revealed things like:

A student who’s completely exhausted

Avoidance when school comes up

Mood changes or irritability

A disrupted sleep schedule

No desire to talk about next semester

None of this means your student is “unmotivated.”
It means they’re overwhelmed — and they were never taught the emotional, executive functioning, and performance skills college actually requires.

If this sounds familiar, I’m hosting a free Parent Workshop on January 8 to help you support your college student without fixing everything for them.

During this 90-minute session, you’ll learn:
✨ Why so many students struggled this fall
✨ The 5 skill gaps college never teaches (but every student needs)
✨ How to talk with your student without triggering shutdown
✨ How to help them reset and feel more confident heading into spring semester

Seats are limited, and this is the most important window for spring planning.

👉 Reserve Your Spot for the January 8 Parent Workshop
https://www.drjoelingersoll.com/Parent-workshop

Your student can bounce back — and you don’t have to navigate this alone.

— Dr. Joel

Free Parent Workshop: Rebuild Confidence, Reconnect With Your Student, and Reset the Semester. Learn why students fall behind and the parent strategies that move them forward. You’ll learn how to assess academic readiness, avoidance behaviors, and support your student next semester.

12/27/2025

Your college student is finally home… but have you noticed they’re avoiding any conversation about school?

It’s more common than you think — and it’s not laziness or attitude.
It’s overwhelm.
It’s burnout.
And sometimes, it’s fear of disappointing you.

I wrote a new blog post to help you navigate these winter break conversations without triggering shutdown or conflict:

How to Talk With Your College Student Over Winter Break (Without Triggering Shutdown): https://www.drjoelingersoll.com/blog/how-to-talk-with-your-college-student-over-winter-break-without-triggering-shutdown

If your student struggled this fall, now is the moment to reset before spring semester begins.

This guide will help you start the right conversations with confidence and calm.

Dr. Joel's blog dives into perspectives on mental health, parenting, physical health, and peak performance. Topics include current mental health issues, straight-forward action steps to improve mental and physical health, parenting tips and ways to optimize student and career performance.

12/22/2025

Had the opportunity to appear as a guest on The Better Semester podcast hosted by Rob Danzman, a clinician, author, and podcast host. Rob extensive experience working with parents of college students. Really enjoyed the conversation, hope you do too. Please share!

Dr. Joel Ingersoll is one of the most recognized advisers to college students and their parents in the Mid-Atlantic. He is a licensed psychologist, renowned impact performance coach and founder of school readiness programs. Joel is the creator of ...

12/04/2025

FB Friends: It’s Official — My New Book Fix It Fatigue Is Now Available on Amazon.

Parenting today feels heavier than ever. Gen-X parents are raising kids in a world completely different from the one we grew up in—intense academic pressure, rising anxiety, social challenges, and the nonstop pull of digital life.

And when our kids struggle, most of us default to the same response:

Fix it. Protect them. Rescue. Over-manage.

Even when we’re exhausted. Even when it doesn’t actually help.

I wrote Fix It Fatigue for every parent who cares deeply but feels stuck in worry, overthinking, and constant mental load—and wants a calmer, more effective way forward.

Inside the book, parents will find:
✅ Real stories from students and families
✅ Clear Parent Anchor Points in every chapter
✅ Reflection questions for understanding patterns
✅ Coaching exercises that build real-world skills
✅ Practical scripts for tough conversations
✅ Tools that grow resilience, emotional regulation, problem-solving, and confidence

My goal is simple:
To help parents stress less, communicate better, and raise young adults who can handle life.

If this speaks to you—or to a parent you know—you can find the book here:
👉 https://a.co/d/3S9Uyrl

If you’re part of any college parent or high-school parent Facebook groups, I’d truly appreciate you sharing this resource there. It may be exactly what another parent needs right now.

And if you do grab a copy, a brief Amazon review would mean more than you know.

Thank you for the support—I’m deeply grateful.
— Dr. Joel

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

11/24/2025

“Thanksgiving Break Checkpoints: What Your College Student’s Behavior Is Really Telling You”

If your college student came home this week looking exhausted, irritable, shut down, or “not quite themselves”… you’re not imagining it. And you’re not alone.

Thanksgiving break is often the first real moment parents see what the semester has taken out of their student—mentally, emotionally, academically, and physically.

After coaching thousands of students across 200+ colleges, I can tell you this:

Their behavior at home is giving you important clues.

Here are a few things to pay attention to this week:

Are they unusually quiet or withdrawn?

Sleeping way more than normal?

Snappy, tense, or easily overwhelmed?

Avoiding any conversation about school?

Retreating to their room instead of engaging?

None of these are signs of laziness.
They are signs of overload, burnout, and stress.

I put together a blog article for parents that breaks it all down—including what these behaviors REALLY mean and how to support your student without triggering shutdown or defensiveness.

Read the full blog post here: https://www.drjoelingersoll.com/blog/thanksgiving-break-checkpoints-what-your-college-student-s-behavior-is-really-telling-you

If you want clarity before spring semester sneaks up, this will help.

And if you’d like deeper support, I’ll be hosting a 3-Day Parent Challenge December 8–10 to teach you exactly how to help your student reset, rebuild motivation, and bounce back stronger after break.

More info coming soon!

Have a happy, healthy Thanksgiving.

—Dr. Joel

Dr. Joel's blog dives into perspectives on mental health, parenting, physical health, and peak performance. Topics include current mental health issues, straight-forward action steps to improve mental and physical health, parenting tips and ways to optimize student and career performance.

11/10/2025

FB Friends - new blog post: The Mid-Semester Reality Check: How to Support Your Student After Parents Weekend & Fall Break. Please share!

Dr. Joel's blog dives into perspectives on mental health, parenting, physical health, and peak performance. Topics include current mental health issues, straight-forward action steps to improve mental and physical health, parenting tips and ways to optimize student and career performance.

09/08/2025

Parents - New blog post! Accountability Wins: What Parents Can Learn From Student Athletes to Help Their Student Succeed This Semester.

Please share!

Dr. Joel's blog dives into perspectives on mental health, parenting, physical health, and peak performance. Topics include current mental health issues, straight-forward action steps to improve mental and physical health, parenting tips and ways to optimize student and career performance.

09/08/2025

Listen to a new season of the Mental Health University podcast! New episode to kick of the fall semester just dropped: Setting A Success Mindset. Subscribe & share!

In this episode of Mental Health University, host Joel welcomes new intern CJ Simmons as they discuss the transition from high school to college, the importance of multi-sport participation, and the dynamics of accountability in sports. They explore the challenges student-athletes face, including ac...