Raising Joy

In this powerful final episode, hosts Kristen Pyrc, M.D. and Wini King announce that Raising Joy is going on a hiatus after five successful seasons and over 125 episodes. They celebrate that the mission of the Joy Campaign—to support the mental well-being of children—will absolutely continue at Cook Children's.

To close out their run, they welcome back their very first guest: Kathleen Powderly, M.D. Dr. Powderly was the "canary in the coal mine" who first sounded the alarm on the youth mental health crisis during the pandemic.

She shares vital progress:

• Reduced Stigma: Fewer severe suicide attempts and a massive shift in families being willing to seek help earlier, before the situation becomes desperate.
• Better Resources: Increased availability of therapists, more insurance options, and the growth of employee assistance programs (EAPs).
• Success Stories: Dr. Powderly shares the professional "joy" of seeing her former patients—who accessed help during the crisis—now in college and "better".

To our listeners, thank you for many moments of JOY! We are grateful for each and every one of you. Remember, Just Breathe, Open Up, You Matter!

Kristen Pyrc, M.D. and Wini King welcome a truly inspiring mother-daughter duo to Raising Joy: Emerson Bucci and her mother, Ashlee. In an episode that celebrates the power of the human spirit, they share Emerson's incredible journey of survival and recovery.

In August 2024, at just 12 years old, Emerson faced a very rare and life-threatening allergic reaction to the common antibiotic Bactrim. Her lungs were severely compromised, leading to a 36-day stay in the ICU at Cook Children's and being placed on ECMO life support.

Tune in to hear:

·         The terrifying process of searching for a diagnosis, the family’s emergency transfer, and the very real possibility of a lung transplant.

·         How Emerson, despite being on life support, remained fully awake and even did schoolwork.

·         The inspiring story behind Emerson's life-affirming catchphrase, "I got this," which became the family's mantra and even inspired a special tattoo.

·         Emerson’s deep faith and remarkable maturity in viewing her ordeal as "temporary".

·         How this experience has inspired Emerson to pursue a future career as a physical therapist to help others walk their own road to recovery.

This conversation is a powerful testimony to family love, perseverance, and the miracle of hope.

In this heartfelt episode of Raising Joy, Kristen Pyrc, M.D. welcomes Fort Worth author K. Jody Massey to discuss a universal and often difficult topic: parental separation.

Inspired by her own life experiences, Jody created her beautiful children's books, Daddy and Me When Daddy Is Away and Mommy and Me When Mommy's Away.

Jody shares how these books are designed to be a gentle guide and a crucial conversation starter for families navigating time apart—from daycare drop-offs and camp to more complex situations like military deployment, hospital stays, foster care, divorce, and incarceration.

Tune in to discover:

• The most important message Jody hopes to convey to every child: Even if a parent is out of sight, they are always in their kids' heart.
• How the book’s open-ended style and helpful questions in the back guide parents through these hard, emotional conversations that are often avoided.
• The secret messages of hope ("You're loved, you're chosen, you're forgiven") hidden in the illustrations to affirm and support parents and caregivers facing guilt.
• The powerful stories of how these books have helped foster families and parents at local prisons maintain a vital connection with their children.

This episode is a loving reminder that connection and open communication can help children—and parents—feel secure, loved, and whole, no matter the distance.

Find Jody's books: Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and at https://www.kjodymassey.com/.

This week, Kristen Pyrc, M.D. and Wini King are back on Raising Joy and welcoming special guest Alexandra Morales, Project and Partnership Coordinator for the Parent Pass app, to discuss a groundbreaking tool designed to lift the mental load of parenting.

Alexandra explains how the free Parent Pass app started in 2021 as a solution to connect parents with the resources and community support they were struggling to find in Tarrant County.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

·       How Parent Pass acts as a vetted, one-stop shop for finding everything from fun, low-cost kid-friendly events to reliable health and mental wellness resources.

·       How the app uses new AI to customize event and resource information based on your children's ages, interests, and zip code, so you don't have to "scour" for information.

·       The overwhelming request for mental health support from local parents, which Parent Pass addresses by linking to organizations like Lena Pope and offering access to trauma-informed yoga classes.

·       The app's Parent Help Line and its life-saving connection to the Help Me Grow program, including a powerful story of how a nurse's postpartum education helped a new mom recognize a dangerous blood clot.

Don't miss this inspiring conversation about how a community-driven app is using technology to combat parent isolation and provide critical support, all while continuing to grow and expand!

Learn more about the Parent Pass App here: https://parentpass.app/

This week on Raising Joy, Wini King and Kristen Pyrc, M.D., learn all about the Parent Cafe program – which brings education and caregiving skills directly to parents across North Texas.  

The guests are Aaron Olivares who oversees the Parent Cafe program for Cook Children's Center for Community Health, and Itzia Osco, a coordinator for the H.E.L.P. Program at Fort Worth ISD, which supports families experiencing homelessness.

The H.E.L.P. Program is just one of the dozens of examples of how the Parent Cafe program is being utilized to support parents with a variety of issues, from discipline and communication to mental health and working with your child’s school. 

Now available in eight counties, this episode sheds light on the Parent Cafe program, how it started as well as information on how you can bring the curriculum to your school or community. 

At a Parent Café, you can:

• Talk about the good stuff about being a parent and the parts that are hard.
• Meet other parents and caregivers and hear what they're going through.
• Get ideas and advice that can help you be an even better parent.

Learn more at https://www.cookchildrenscommunity.org/abuse/parenting-support/parent-cafe/

If you’ve ever tried to schedule a behavioral health appointment for your child, you likely know the wait can be longer than expected – even months. But did you know there’s a major shortage of child psychiatrists nationwide? In fact, there are roughly 850 child psychiatrists in Texas serving seven million children.

On this episode of Raising Joy, we’re talking about solutions with Gunit Kahlon, M.D., and Nanette Allison, D.O., who lead Fort Worth’s first Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship program at JPS Health Network. 

The program, which includes rotations at JPS Health Network and Cook Children's, aims to increase access to mental health care for children and teens. With the first graduating class now working in Tarrant County, access to timely care and reduced wait times are more than a dream – they’re becoming reality.

In this episode you’ll learn: 

• The impact of the shortage of child psychiatrists in North Texas
• How the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship will help reduce wait times for mental health resources
• How the collaboration between health networks stresses the importance of community
• Retaining fellows offers potential growth for mental health services in the future

This week on Raising Joy, Wini King and Kristen Pryc, M.D., learn what resources your child’s school counselors can provide for you and your student with Bridgeport ISD Counselor Liz Cornett.

Liz addresses issues like conflict resolution, parental incarceration and self-harm ideation. She emphasizes the importance of early intervention and prevention, using tools like QR codes for check-ins and character development lessons. 

In this episode you’ll learn: 

• Resources at schools to help your child
• How to self-regulate for you and your child
• Best practices for anxiety management
• Reasons behind the shift in the younger generation’s fast-paced maturity
• How to help your child if they are threatening self-harm

This episode is filled with self-help and regulation techniques to advocate for your child so that they feel heard. 

This week on Raising Joy, Wini King and Dr. Kristen Pyrc discuss how to define trauma and the mental and physical responses adolescents have with Joy Hoffman, Psy.D., a psychologist at Cook Children’s Pediatrics in Hurst, Texas. 

Dr. Hoffman details how different adolescent age groups respond to trauma and healing. Discover the best practices on how to create a safe space and gain trust to help the child heal depending on age and events. 

In this episode you’ll learn: 

• How to define the different variations of trauma
• How to identify the different trauma responses in each child
• Ways to respond to trauma responses
• Keeping calm in order to gain trust 
• Ways to help regulate emotional outbursts

This episode is packed with ways to navigate and regulate the physical and emotional responses of trauma in various adolescent age groups. 

This week on Raising Joy, Wini King and Kristen Pyrc, M.D., analyze the positive effects of giving your child independence from an early age with Kim Mangham, M.D., a pediatrician from Cook Children’s Pediatrics - Keller Parkway.

Dr. Mangham details the strengths your child will develop if you let them make their own mistakes starting as early as the toddler years. Discover how these mistakes, with parent oversight, will better prepare your teen and college student to advocate for themselves as they navigate early adulthood. 

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

• How to empower your child with supervision from an early age
• Ways in which your child can contribute to the family to build adult skills
• Taking care of yourself so your child learns to take care of their self as well
• Ways in which your child can become a leader instead of being influenced
• Allowing your child to grow from their mistakes with your help

This episode is filled with parent and caregiver advice to best empower and prepare your child for the independence of adulthood from an early age. 

This week on Raising Joy, Wini King and Dr. Kristen Pyrc dive deep into the fascinating world of neuropsychological testing with special guest Tahnae Allen, Ph.D., a pediatric neuropsychologist from Cook Children's Medical Center - Prosper.

Dr. Allen breaks down neuropsychological testing and dispels common misconceptions. Discover that it's not about electrodes and blinking lights, but rather a comprehensive and often fun assessment that helps understand how a child's brain functions in areas like attention, memory, language and social-emotional development.
 
 In this episode, you'll learn:

• What neuropsychological testing entails and why a child might need it. 
• The difference between psychological and neuropsychological testing.
• The referral process for neuropsychological testing and what parents can expect from the comprehensive reports.
• The hope and tools that neuropsychological testing provides to help children thrive and access the support they need.

This episode is packed with valuable insights for any parent or caregiver looking to better understand and support their child's neurodevelopmental journey.