Author name: Jody Johnston Pawel, LSW, CFLE, CTSS

Jody Johnston Pawel, LSW, CFLE, CTSS is an award-winning author, top-rated speaker, and coach who has served over 50,000 parents, teachers, and family-service professionals worldwide and as a parenting expert to the media for over 30 years. She has created hundreds of Toolshop® multimedia programs and resources and trained over 100+ Toolshop® coaches and trainers worldwide to deliver them. She shares what she learns with other family life educators, some of whom serve on our training faculty.

Social Media & Youth Mental Health: Understanding the Connection and the AAP’s “5 C’s for Media Use”

A research study published 7/21/2025 surveyed over 1000 individuals who were 18 to 24 years old. They asked them, “When did you get a smartphone?” and about a whole host of mental health symptoms. (See news stories on Good Morning America, CNN, and CBS, Scripps News.) The study found that children who start using smartphones …

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Why Parenting Education Matters (and How You Can Help Make It More Accessible)

Research shows parenting education can prevent and improve many problems families and society experience. Yet, many people don’t know it exists, think it’s only for “bad” parents, that anyone can be a “parenting expert,” or that professionals like therapists and pediatricians have been trained in effective parenting skills. None of those are true!

Funding for Parents Toolshop® Services in Ohio Sought

The Parents Toolshop® is not just an award-winning book; it’s an evidence-based parent education program with 30 years of outstanding results with over 100,000 parents and professionals worldwide — and continuously in Ohio. Our original funder said of other programs, “Our statistics show that none have even come close to achieving the results your classes …

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