How to explain a tragic death of a classmate to their peers and friends Last year a  tragic fire touched the Windward School community in Connecticut –three children and their grandparents perished. This week a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut killing twenty school children and their teachers. Our hearts [...]

Parent Alert: College mental health crisis and signs your teen may be depressed or at risk of dropping out Your son or daughter is back from college for the holidays! He or she spent months studying for those SATs, filling out college applications and agonizing.  Then acceptance! You move your teen into the dorm, hug [...]

How to work with the school to create a safety plan for your child when bullying continues and previous efforts fail You know your child is being bullied. You talked to your child or even with the teacher, tried strategies, but bullying continues. You’re fully aware that your child is suffering. You recognize the serious [...]

Warnings signs that a child may be the target of a bully and the crucial steps to take If your child is bullied it means that a peer or peers are intentionally causing her or him pain. Peer abuse–just the thought can send shivers down our spines. But the fact is hundreds of children skip [...]

Parenting tips to help you understand what depression looks like age by age REALITY CHECK: Here is what’s not true about your child and depression: “She’s too young to be depressed.” “Don’t worry. It’s only a phase.” “Real depression is something only teens or adults get.” “He’ll outgrow it.” Beware that depression is now diagnosed [...]

The mothers of two 14-year-old girls who killed themselves in a suicide pact spoke to TODAY’s Matt Lauer about their heartbreak today, saying their daughters had been victims of cyberbullying and suffered from depression — but they never expected anything this horrible. “I tried to teach her to see past tomorrow,” said Tricia Behnke, mother of [...]

The Kids Are NOT All Right Folks! Report shows U.S. college freshman stress hitting record high levels and their mental health plummeting to a 25 year all-time low. Findings and solutions I shared on the TODAY Show last week. We spend all that time drop our kids off college and promise them that they’re going [...]

Parenting alert: Websites tailored to young girls that encourage negative self-image, eating disorders and cold-blooded cruelty Research is showing a clear and troubling trend in the mental health of our daughters. Eating disorders, stress, depression, smoking, binge drinking, a peer creulty are steadily rising. Though the internet is certainly not the prime cause, it can [...]

New study finds children as young as 2 and 3 can be depressed Producers from the TV show, THE DOCTORS, asked me to share the signs of early depression and what parents should do if they suspect their child is depressed. Here is my report.  Preschoolers? Depressed? Impossible!! Well, don’t be too sure. A recent [...]

Parenting tips based on proven research that help raise tobacco-free kids and save their lives REALITY CHECK: One in five high school students smoke. More than 3 million U.S. teens are cigarette smokers. The biggest increase in cigarette users are teen girls. Did you know …. In California (my state), 18 to 24 year olds [...]

Bullying. It’s rampant, cruel, and too much of the teen scene. But if you had even an ounce of doubt as to the extent of how vicious kids can be, this story should do it. A fourteen-year old boy was lured to a basement in a Concord, New Jersey home by teens. The high school [...]

Chilling details continue to emerge three months after South Hadley High school freshman, Phoebe Prince, took her life. Descriptions of relentless vicious taunts, endless physical threats and horrifying bullying she endured at the hands of her peers leave us shaken. Now news sources have obtained two essays Phoebe Prince wrote for her high school English [...]

When it comes to teens, parents sometimes feel like they’re dealing with a different species all together.  Things like raging hormones, stress, sleep deprivation, growth spurts, self-consciousness and neurological wiring make teens super sensitive, moody and irritable. They’re stuck in the middle of childhood and adulthood with the an urge to be independent. More physical [...]

REALITY CHECK: Did you know that 60 percent of teens are suffering–right this minute–from a serious bout of depression but are not diagnosed or receiving treatment? I know all kids can be irritable and sometimes secretive, but how do I know when my child’s behavior isn’t normal and I should seek professional help? – Donna [...]

Did you know that 1 out of 12 teens suffers from depression? I’ll be speaking with Dr. Tim Johnson about how to spot those signs and what to do if you suspect your child is depressed. This segment will air on ABC.com and is repeated on their cable network. http://abcnews.go.com/videoplayerindex?id=7804870 I am working with Forest [...]