Are there experts like TV's Supernanny available for hire (for parents who need help with behavioral/parenting issues)?

It is possible there are people who call themselves something like a "supernanny" and offer that service. But there are also lots of highly trained, licensed professionals who can coach parents and kids with behavior and parenting issues, and they are called family therapists. They generally don't come into the home, but they do sometimes watch the entire family in their own offices, or observe videotapes.

Then they suggest what could be the problem, and what to do about it. They often suggest specific parenting practices, and then even rehearse them in the office with you. If there is another issue with a particular parent or child (like excessive stress, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc.) they might suggest some ways to improve that person's health.

To find a family therapist, all you have to do is call or write your local chapter of the American Psychological Association and ask them to suggest some names. Or you can ask your family doctor for a referral. You can shop around to find one you like.

They will all let you meet with them for free just to check them out. I don't follow the "Supernanny" show closely, but the few times I have seen it, I noticed that 1) they don't seem to consider anything beyond the "tough love" cliches you can find in books. Limits and boundaries are indeed often an issue, but sometimes there is something else that takes actual training to recognize, like Aspergers' or attachment disorders.

2) They never actually offer coaching. They just make proclamations as if the parents are supposed to instantly change their behavior. Changing parenting practices requires actual coaching, rehearsal, and practice.

It doesn't change overnight. 3) They don't follow up with families 6 months or a year later to see if the miraculous changes they wrought have lasted longer than the end of filming. 4) They don't seem to deal with cross-cultural issues.

I haven't seen any immigrant families on the show. These can be really knotty. Who can say that a particular culture is wrong?

But some cultural practices can cause real problems inside the family. 5) They don't mention medication. Medication is possibly over-prescribed nowadays because of cost pressure from HMO's, but no therapist would ever say medication is a cure-all, by itself.

But sometimes it is actually a useful and even important part of addressing the problem. 6) They don't seem to consider substance abuse, which is a root cause of a lot of family conflict and dysfunction. Most common is alcohol abuse, but prescription drug abuse and other drugs are becoming more common.

7) They don't seem to ever say that there actually isn't a problem, that the child is behaving normally, and the parents might have unrealistic expectations of how families operate. In other words, they don't seem to act the way you would want any doctor or health professional to perform. Further, I don't believe there is a supernanny professional organization, that polices its own members the way the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association does.

There is no code of ethics, there is no continuing education requirement, there is no forum for sharing ideas or information, there is no professional journal, there is no licensing requirement, there is no criminal background check. In fact there is nothing to suggest those supernannies, parents, children aren't all just following a script created by the producers of the show. The families might be real, who knows?