Articles by Gene Beresin

March 22, 2016

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Helping Kids of All Ages in the Face of Terrorism or War

At times like these – in the face of terrorism or war – amid our shock, grief, and fear, we need to be particularly attuned to the impact such events have on our children. Kids of all ages have questions and various emotional reactions—compounded all the more by the footage and commentary they may be […]

February 25, 2016

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Living With A Chronic Medical Illness

This blog post is part of a series entitled Real Lives, Real Stories: Personal Experiences With Mental Illness. 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. […]

January 21, 2016

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

When Kids Leave Home: Part 2

This is the second blog post in a two-part series on adolescents’ transition to the “real world.” To view the first blog post, click here.  Intro music written and performed by Dr. Gene Beresin. Outro music arranged and performed by Dr. Gene Beresin. I love being a mom. I loved seeing my kids every morning and […]

December 10, 2015

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Home Is Where The Heart Is: Thinking About Homeless Children In The Classroom

This is the final blog post of a series in collaboration with the Lesley University Child Homelessness Initiative (CHI). For more information about the CHI curriculum, and the ways in which it seeks to empower the next generation of teachers and caregivers to understand and advocate for homeless children, visit http://www.lesley.edu/child-homelessness-initiative/. To view the first and second […]

October 19, 2015

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Discovering Who I Am: The Critical Role Of Identity

The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice. “Who are you?” said the Caterpillar. This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, “I—I hardly know, sir, […]

October 15, 2015

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Treating Specific Phobias in Kids

It was the last semester of medical school, and Philadelphia couldn’t have been nicer—even West Philly. My wife and daughter, then almost five years old, were walking around town, and at one point let our daughter run ahead over a concrete bridge. Most kids have their falls, so when she tumbled, we weren’t surprised. But […]

September 10, 2015

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Doing What We Ought To Be Doing Already: An Approach To World Suicide Prevention Day

September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day. That seems straightforward enough. Suicide is awful, more common than you’d think, and in many cases, highly preventable. Perhaps most important, in virtually every culture and every ethnic group on the planet, suicide is highly stigmatized. It therefore makes sense for the international health community to designate a […]

August 20, 2015

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Bad To The Bone: Seven Myths About Juveniles In Jail

Intro music written and performed by Dr. Gene Beresin. Outro music performed by Dr. Gene Beresin. *** Bad To The Bone: Seven Myths About Juveniles In Jail Judith Edersheim, J.D., M.D. and Robert Kinscherff, Ph.D., J.D.   The average adolescent brain is quite different from the average adult brain, and the neuroscience that tracks these […]

August 11, 2015

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

The Impact Of Divorce: All Children Only Get One Childhood

Listen to a conversation about the impact of divorce on children on our podcast. Tune in below or search for “Shrinking It Down” wherever you get your podcasts. Navigating divorce is an adult problem and responsibility. However, too often children find themselves caught in the crossfire of their parents’ marital conflict. During a divorce, adults […]

July 28, 2015

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

The Crisis In Pediatric Psychiatric Emergency Rooms

Psychiatric emergency rooms are busier than you can imagine—unless you’ve been stuck in one.  In fact, there’s only one emergency room setting that’s even more so: pediatric psychiatric emergency rooms. In both urban and rural locations, on both coasts as well as in the middle of the country—literally throughout the land—psychiatric emergency rooms are bursting […]