Hot Topics

Raising Secure Children In An Insecure World

Authors’ Note: As we as a nation remember the tragic events that took place at the 2013 Boston Marathon, we wish to share again the blog below, written in collaboration with the Marjorie E. Korff Parenting At a Challenging Time (PACT) Program for the Boston Marathon bombing’s one-year anniversary.

Predicting The Next Mental Health Crisis: Sometimes We Just Can’t Know

When tragedies hit, it is in our nature to ask why.  The co-pilot in the horrific Germanwings crash had serious mental health problems, according to reports.

College Mental Health Is In Trouble

Sally is an 18-year-old freshman at a large land-grant university.  She has been admitted into her school’s special scholars program due to her particularly impressive academic achievements in high school, and begins her first year of college with a new group of friends, and assumed academic success.

Navigating “The System”

Tune into our audio segment on navigating the system ~ search for ‘Shrinking It Down’ wherever you get your podcasts.

I’m going to try to describe how hard it is for families to navigate the mental health care system in the United States. In fact, even the term “system” is problematic here.

The Plight Of Child Homelessness In The United States

This is the first 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 their website.

Choosing Not To Vaccinate

I grew up before the oral polio vaccine; my mother wouldn’t let me go to swim parties for fear of my contracting the awful disease. Her brother had polio as a child, and for many years was partially paralyzed.

So, it shocks me to think that some parents would choose not to vaccinate their kids.

How To Talk To Your Kids About Internet Pornography

When I was in medical school, there was this show called Beavis and Butthead.

Beavis and Butthead (as their names suggest) were two exaggerated versions of typical early adolescent boys who snickered at words with even a hint of sexual connotation.  It was fashionable when the show was on to imitate their raspy laughter.

Hazing On School Campuses: What Parents And Students Need To Know

Despite the illegalization of hazing in 44 states and the implementation of anti-hazing efforts on school campuses across the U.S., these high risk and oftentimes life-threatening practices continue not only in Greek life and among various sports teams, but also in marching bands, military groups and even honor societies.

Beyond Sexual Assault

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

How to Talk With Your Kids About the Ferguson Unrest

On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African-American man, was shot to death by on-duty police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri.  The case immediately drew national and even international attention.

Just after the shooting, many commentators sought to view the tragedy as part of a larger narrative. The U.K.