Articles by Khadijah Booth Watkins and Gene Beresin

December 19, 2024

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Including Disability and Belonging in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

It is not always clear that disability is included in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) initiatives and though schools and many organizations have made efforts to create a fair, open, diverse and inclusive workplaces, disability representation has often been absent from modern initiatives.  Disability represents a range of differences which can have a tremendous […]

November 21, 2024

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Parents Under Pressure: A Response to the Recent U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health

In the recent Advisory, Parents Under Pressure, the US Surgeon General noted that parents are currently more stressed, burned out, and lonely than ever before. The alarming statistics are not all that different than his Advisories on the Youth Mental Health and Loneliness Epidemics that have been escalating since the late 1970s. In this episode […]

October 17, 2024

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Supporting Youth in a World Riddled by Conflict

Let’s be honest, we’re all stressed. We’re stressed about climate change, world crises, the upcoming election, or even just the common stressors of everyday life: economic pressures, relationship issues, burnout, you name it. So, with all stress, our conversations can easily become more uncivilized. In this episode of Shrinking it Down, Gene and Khadijah discuss […]

October 1, 2024

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Parental Stress: Practical Tips in Response to the New Surgeon General’s Advisory

In the recent Advisory, Parents Under Pressure, the US Surgeon General noted that parents are currently more stressed, burned out, and lonely than ever before. The alarming statistics are not all that different than his Advisories on the Youth Mental Health and Loneliness Epidemics that have been escalating since the late 1970s. The deeply worrisome […]

September 19, 2024

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Navigating Special Education in Schools Part 2: Working with the Team and Your Child

This is the first blog post in a two-part series on navigating special education in schools. The focus of this first post is on general legal and practical tips for parents. The second post focuses on working with the IEP and your child. The Special Education system in school can be confusing, especially if you […]

August 29, 2024

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Navigating Special Education in Schools Part 1: Legal and Practical Tips

This is the first blog post in a two-part series on navigating special education in schools. The focus of this first post is on general legal and practical tips for parents. The second post focuses on working with the IEP and your child. Welcome back to a new season of Shrinking it Down: Mental Health […]

July 2, 2024

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

A Letter to Those Struggling: Surviving a Severe Eating Disorder

Note: The following person’s account of his/her personal experience has been published with his/her consent to support the mission of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, and let others in similar situations not feel so alone. Introduction Gene Beresin, MD, MA For many years, I cared for Kathleen who had perhaps the most severe […]

June 20, 2024

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Stories for Children’s Mental Health

Stories Matter, especially when it comes to children’s mental health and wellbeing. For our season finale, Gene and Khadijah are joined by two special guests from Barefoot Books – book editor Lisa Rosinsky and children’s author Joelle Retener. They explore how stories help kids to make sense of the world in all of its confusion […]

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

“Walking in Another Character’s Armored Boots”: How Role-playing and Therapy Intertwine

Role-play is one of the most basic ways we learn about how to interact with other people, our identity, the world we’re in, and our place in it. It’s something we almost universally do as children and frequently continue as adults. To a degree, we all play different roles without realizing it; as an example, […]

May 16, 2024

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Boys, Body Image, and Eating Disorders, feat. Jason Nagata, MD

Most teens stress over body image at some point. But when you hear the term “eating disorder” what do you think of? Probably not boys and men. Yet, adolescent boys struggle with body image and disordered eating behaviors nearly just as often as girls do. Tune in below, or wherever you get your podcasts. Today […]