Dr. Lori Fishman

Child Psychologist & Parenting Consultant

Less than a year

I was raised in New Jersey but came up here to attend college at Brandeis University in 1998 and never left!

I have been an Attending Psychologist in a weight management program at Boston Children’s Hospital since 2008, treating children and their parents, using evidence-based behavioral approaches to help them achieve a healthy weight and lifestyle. My specialty in pediatric weight management stems from my own struggles with health during my youth. Options for supporting overweight children were limited in the ’80s, as the focus was primarily on adult diet programs, and I never felt I had the appropriate resources to make changes. So when I began my graduate studies at William James College, I found myself intensely drawn to their Health Psychology specialty track; the study of behavioral processes in health, illness, and healthcare. Fortunately, this allowed me to train in pediatric hospital settings while I obtained my doctoral degree. The COVID-19 pandemic opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibility within the online service sectors. I recently launched an educational website, www.pastparentfuture.com, which provides the same services that parents receive from me at the hospital but in a quick, universally accessible virtual format. It’s my sincere hope that this will help parents who simply can’t feasibly go to a hospital-based obesity or weight-management program get the resources they need to help their children at a fraction of the cost and inconvenience.

Children return to me because of my ``down to earth`` style, and parents appreciate my refreshing candor and relatable nature. Forming trusting relationships with children and families is my number one goal, without which therapeutic treatment is ineffective.

“You’re always one decision away from a totally different life”. It hits me on both professional and personal levels; as a clinician, I frequently talk about the value of doing just one small thing each day. Changing behaviors and vices is hard! I, too, often get caught up in that all-or-nothing mentality where it feels like if I can’t do 100%, it’s not worth it and I shouldn’t bother doing it at all. Which, of course, isn’t true. This quote always reminds me how seemingly small choices in a moment can add up to significant gains over time.

The Precious Present by Spencer Johnson

Learning to say NO! I know that this is not a formal tool or app but this has been life changing in terms of work/life balance. I have spent years feeling like I cannot turn one opportunity down even if it wasn't quite what I wanted to do or I didn't have the time. Learning to walk away from situations that are not quite the right fit without feeling guilty has been a significant and eye-opening breakthrough for me professionally and personally.

I recently started my own website after a decade of trepidation! I have been working in a hospital since graduation and have never managed my own career or made my own choices. I am excited that I made this scary but amazing leap into becoming an entrepreneur!

Oh wow, this one is big. I would tell my younger self to care less what other people think and focus more on doing the things that made me happy or feel good.

I love hanging out with my 13 year-old daughter though I can't say for sure that she feels the same way! My happy place is on the ocean and I try to get there as much as possible. My favorite recreational activity is going to rock concerts - specifically '80s hair bands and I am pretty obsessed with my Peloton!

I wake up everyday wishing that I had pursued my lifelong dream career of personal assistant to Bret Michaels of Poison. But I'm still pretty happy with how things turned out!