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The parents in Overland Park, Kan., were fed up. They wanted their children off screens, but they needed strength in numbers. First, because no one wants their kid to be the lone weird one without a phone. And second, because taking the phone away from a middle schooler is actually very, very tough. “We start the meetings by saying, ‘This is hard, we’re in a new frontier, but who is going to help us?’” said Krista Boan, who is leading a Kansas City-based program called START, which stands...

HAILEY LECLAIR SAYS SHE was about 12 years old when she started noticing her mother's drug use. “She had been losing weight, and she hadn’t really been home as much – she’d been out with friends,” says Hailey, now 15. In October 2017, the Bangor Daily News in Penobscot County , Maine , told Hailey's story, publishing diarylike entries she'd written that reflected feelings of frustration, confusion and hurt as she tried to navigate the effects of her mother's and stepfather's addictions. [For...

Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” – John Muir As a mother, a therapist, a partner, how good am I to any one if I am not taking care of myself? Not so good at all. Those of us in the helping professions (or roles that give out a lot of nurturing energy) especially need to take a pause and focus on replenishment and self-care. When our cup is not topped off, we run on fumes. And that’s...

A new study, published in Translational Behavioral Medicine, reveals that the majority of clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of major depression do not incorporate a stepped care approach and often fail to include physical activity or exercise as a recommended intervention. There is some concern that the variability in guidelines may influence the ability of clinicians to provide adequate care for individuals diagnosed with subthreshold or mild to moderate depression. In 2016,...

When we talk about “building the capacity” of frontline and grassroots leaders who are changing structures, policies, and systems, what does that really mean for funders? Many funders use antiquated and static systems of inquiry to identify and make judgements about which groups are well-equipped to achieve social change. The truth is that philanthropy holds a disproportionate amount of power; it serves as a gatekeeper for the resources that belong to our communities. And while the folks...

You know an issue has momentum when Oprah is talking about it. In a 60 Minutes segment aired in March 2018, Oprah talks about the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and a trauma-informed approach. She described the story as one that had “more impact on me than practically anything I’ve ever done.” That’s a lot coming from Oprah! As we pass the 20-year anniversary of the publication of the original Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study, the landmark study that demonstrated the...

Today Teri is joined by George Siegal, producer of the award-winning film, License to Parent, and founder of the non-profit film production company, Move the World Films, Inc.

Every public library and YMCA in the U.S. may soon be equipped with Narcan, in an effort to combat drug-related deaths by expanding access to the opioid-overdose-reversing naloxone nasal spray. Emergent BioSolutions, which this month completed its acquisition of Narcan maker Adapt Pharma, will provide a free kit including two doses of the nasal spray, as well as educational materials, to each of the 16,568 public libraries and 2,700 YMCAs in the U.S., according to an announcement released...

This is Wilson.* His mother, Aline, took the picture to mark a happy and hopeful moment following a traumatic period when Wilson participated in a University of Illinois at Chicago clinical trial that tested whether lithium was effective in treating children with bipolar disorder. ProPublica Illinois reported in April that the UIC psychiatrist who oversaw several federally funded studies, Dr. Mani Pavuluri, violated research rules, failed to alert parents of risks and falsified data to cover...

One year after Hurricane Harvey, Houston-area teachers have a new tool to respond to children who have experienced trauma or distress through a new online professional development program. The program was developed through a collaboration between UNICEF USA , Mental Health America of Greater Houston (MHA of Greater Houston), and health simulation company Kognito . The program, titled Trauma-Informed Practices for K-12 Schools (TPS), is a 30-45-minute online simulation that builds educators’...

No one knew what we were signing up for, but we volunteered for the “re-entry-to-society simulator” at our Kentucky prison regardless. When the day came, we filed into a large room. “Take a seat at one of the tables, any table. That will be your ‘occupation’ for the next hour—so find something fitting, guys,” said the re-entry program administrator, a red-haired woman acting as our new boss. “You’ll find instructions in your packet. And don’t steal any of the pens or markers!” [For more on...

Being Latino in the United States is harder today than it was a year ago, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. The report, which is based on a bilingual survey of over 1,500 Hispanic and Latino adults over the last few months, identifies increasing pessimism among Latinos about their place in America—even more than they felt soon after President Donald Trump was elected. Here's what you need to know about the survey. NEARLY HALF OF LATINOS SAY THEIR SITUATION HAS GROWN...