Dr. Kim Van Dusen On The 5 Things Parents Can Do To Help Their Children Thrive and Excel In School

An Interview With Jake Frankel

Children also need consistent routines, an adequate amount of sleep, to eat nutritionally, and feel loved and respected by their parent.

School is really not easy these days. Many students have been out of school for a long time because of the pandemic, and the continued disruptions and anxieties are still breaking the flow of normal learning. What can parents do to help their children thrive and excel in school, particularly during these challenging and anxiety-provoking times?

To address this, we started a new series called ‘5 Things Parents Can Do to Help Their Children Thrive and Excel in School.” In this interview series, we are talking to teachers, principals, education experts, and successful parents to learn from their insights and experience.

As a part of this interview series, I had the pleasure to interview Dr. Kim Van Dusen.

Dr. Kim Van Dusen, Psy.D., LMFT, RPT is a mom of two and the CEO/Owner/Founder of The Parentologist. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Registered Play Therapist and the host of The Parentologist Podcast. She received her Bachelor’s in Sociology from UCLA, her Master’s in Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University, and her second Master’s and Doctorate in Psychology, Marital and Family Therapy. Post-doctorate, Dr. Kim spent 5 years working for a nonprofit agency as a Program Manager implementing a positive behavior support program in over 20 elementary schools. She also recently worked for years as a Behavior Consultant and Supervisor helping families with children diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum. She currently owns a private practice and is writing her first non-fiction parenting book that is due to be published in 2026.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us a bit about your “backstory”?

For as long as I can remember, I have had a dream of owning my own business. I fell in love with psychology during my freshman year of college and also became passionate about broadcast journalism after receiving my undergraduate degree. After receiving my first Master’s degree in Television Broadcasting, I worked for many years in the media world and also in the field of sales, marketing, and advertising, gaining a plethora of knowledge in the business realm. After gaining knowledge and experience in the many areas I loved, I searched for my purpose and what I wanted to focus on. As soon as I received my Doctorate in Psychology, received certification as a play therapist, and became a mom, The Parentologist was born, and my career finally came together, mixing all of my passions in one. I have poured my heart and soul into my brand, and now, almost a decade later, I have a profitable business that is known all over the world. I also recently received a book deal from a prominent publishing house, and I am currently writing my first book, which has been on my bucket list for a long time and is such a dream come true. Creating a business from the ground up and cultivating it into a successful brand has taken a lot of time, sacrifice, dedication, and perseverance, but has been worth it, every step of the way. I have accomplished so many goals I have set for myself, and have supported so many families, I can’t wait to see where it goes next!

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Over the years, I have learned a lot about success and how to handle stress, pitfalls, obstacles, rejection, and being comfortable with failure throughout my career. I have also had to learn how to navigate balancing work demands and being a present mom as well as how to be flexible and pivot when needed. I was asked years ago in an interview about how I define success, and this is what I said: “Success is showing up and not giving up. I strongly believe in having a growth mindset and success is a personal goal that only you define, not a fabricated one pressured from societal standards. Success comes from within and trying your personal best, which is different for everyone. The important thing to remember is that even if you fail, it doesn’t make you a failure. Trying is half the battle and to find contentment in your efforts, whatever they may be, and know in your soul that you did your best. Success is not defined by how much money you make or how many followers you have on social media. If you can look at yourself in the mirror at the end of the day and know that you tried your best that day, and you live by your values, you are successful.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My favorite quote is “Toys are children’s words and play is their language” by Gary Landreth. This quote is instrumental to my work as a mom and play therapist and is the foundation of how I view and work with children.

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

I would say persistence, confidence, and ambition.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

I recently partnered with Hefty Zoo Pals to launch their Hefty Zoo Pals Meal Kits. As a mom of two and the CEO/Owner/Founder of The Parentologist, my ethos and parenting ideology are all about play and getting creative, which is what Hefty Zoo Pals Meal Kits embody! The Hefty Zoo Pals Meal Kits incorporate elements that not only spark imagination, but keep kids engaged and at the table longer, including Hefty Zoo Pals Plates, custom Zoo Pals sandwich cutters, Hefty Zoo Pals-themed cups and coasters. Parents already have so much going on and trying to get a child ready for the end of summer and back into a routine can add unnecessary stress. The Hefty Zoo Pals Meal Kits will help kids to play with food in a fun and friendly way, minimize power struggles, and help picky eaters try new food while making mealtime fun. Parents can enter for a chance to win the limited-edition Hefty Zoo Pals Meal Kit by visiting ZooPalsMealKits.com now through August 28.

For the benefit of our readers, can you tell us a bit about why you are an authority on how to help children succeed in school?

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the main focus of our interview. Can you help articulate the main challenges that students face today that make it difficult to succeed in school?

I currently received certificates in “Nutrition Essentials for Clinicians: Culinary Medicine to Improve Mood, Sleep, Attention and Focus” and “Advanced Nutritional and Integrative Medicine for Mental Health Professionals” and I am passionate about educating parents on how to help their children succeed at home and in school. Behavior and mood are affected by how much sleep a child receives as well as what food they eat. When a child eats sugary food, foods with artificial dyes, and processed foods, it affects their mood, behavior, attention span, sleep, nutrition, and overall success, emotionally, socially, mentally, and physically. I try to educate parents on the importance of what their children eat and how it correlates on their overall performance and success in schools.

Can you suggest a few reforms that you think schools should make to help students to thrive and excel?

I am a big advocate for school initiatives like friendship rooms, kindness week, anti-bully programs, drug-free programs, and having mentor systems in place. I also strongly believe in evidence-based positive behavior support programs. I wish that schools had more social skills groups and emotional support groups for children and or offered mental health counseling availability for all students, even if it’s solely preventative support. I know funding helps prioritize these initiatives, but I wish school districts were able to cultivate these programs as a top priority!

Here is our primary question. Can you please share your “5 Things Parents Can Do To Help Their Children Thrive and Excel In School?” Please share a story or example for each.

Children need their parents to listen to them, validate them, empathize with them, support them, and be involved. Children also need consistent routines, an adequate amount of sleep, to eat nutritionally, and feel loved and respected by their parent.

As you know, teachers play such a huge role in shaping young lives. What would you suggest needs to be done to attract top talent to the education field?

Ideally, I would love for children to feel more honored, validated, and respected. I believe children need to have more of a voice and are instead shut down, invalidated, and shamed by adults. I am a positive person and I hate seeing children being treated unfairly just because they aren’t taken seriously as a child. Children are such a gift and a light to our world and should be supported, encouraged, and loved.

We are blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them :-)

Oh wow, I can think of many people I would love to have a meal with one day! I would say my top two are Oprah and Brene Brown! They have inspired me so much over the years and I would love to glean knowledge from them and get to know them on a more personal level.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

I would love for your readers to follow my work online! They can follow me on Instagram at @theparentologist, subscribe and listen to my podcast, The Parentologist Podcast, read my blog at www.theparentologist.com, and subscribe to my newsletter via my website so they can get tips and up to date information on the book I am currently writing and news on when it hits bookshelves nationwide!

Thank you so much for these insights! This was so inspiring!