Shrinking It Down: Mental Health Made Simple

Content Warning: Today’s episode is the first in a two-part series on teen relationship violence. It may be difficult for some of our listeners.

Romantic relationships are a critically important part of life for teenagers. In fact, one of the most common reasons for emotional struggles in high school and college are breakups with friends or romantic partners. We all know that breakups can be emotionally distressing for teens, but we don’t often talk about how they can also be emotionally or physically violent. Somehow, it feels easier to talk about the sadness or loneliness that can follow a breakup. But violence needs to be part of the conversation, too.

Today, Gene and Khadijah welcome a very special guest, Mary Dunne, to help us start this difficult conversation. Mary’s daughter, Lauren Dunne Astley, an 18-year-old young woman who had just graduated high school, died on July 3, 2011 at the hands of her former boyfriend. She was a victim of breakup violence. Since then, through the Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund, Mary has worked to promote dynamic educational programs, particularly those in the areas of the development of healthy teen relationships, the arts, and community service.

In today’s episode, Mary helps us to better understand the complexities of breakup violence, and what we can all be doing – parents, teachers, peers – to be “upstanders” in our communities to help prevent it.

Thank you for joining in this conversation. If you have a question or something you would like to share related to healthy teen relationships or teen relationship violence, please write to us.

Media List

The list below includes resources on understanding and preventing teen relationship violence.

• Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund (LDAMF Official website)
• The time is always right to do what is right (LDA Memorial Fund, Instagram)
• Escaping Breakup and Relationship Violence (LDAMF Foundation, YouTube)
• Breakup Violence: Resources for Teens and Parents (48 Hours)
• State-by-State Statistics on Domestic Violence (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence)
• Teen Dating Violence Can Lead To Homicide – And Girls Are The Most Common Victims (NPR)
• “You would do it if you loved me.” Teens, Coercive Relationships, and Digital Media (MGH Clay Center)
• Kids at Risk for Violence: Warning Signs of Aggression (MGH Clay Center)
• Should we break up? (love is respect)
• The Trauma Felt In Teenage Breakups (MGH Clay Center)
• One Love Relationship Education (One Love Foundation)
• Be An Upstander – What Can You Do? (i am courageous)

Music by Gene Beresin

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know the first telepsychiatry visits at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), conducted back in 2014, weren’t for adults, but for children? Flash forward, we never imagined how critical teletherapy and telemedicine would become – in such a short period of time – as a part of routine healthcare for all age groups and populations, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In today’s episode of Shrinking It Down, we welcome special guest Dr. Janet Wozniak, Associate Chief of Quality and Safety for Department of Psychiatry at MGH, for a conversation about telepsychiatry. What is it? How has it been helping kids and teens? What barriers still exist for some families, and what are we doing to address them?  

While virtual visits will never be the same as in-person, Dr. Wozniak talks about the gains for clinicians working with kids, like meeting other members of the family (including pets!) and getting a better sense of the home environment, which influences their day-to-day life. Plus, she shares concrete tips for making the most of your child or teen’s teletherapy visit. 

Thank you for joining in this conversation. If you have a question about telepsychiatry, we’d love to hear from you. Write to us!

Media List 

Follow along with the conversation.

• Janet Wozniak, MD (Massachusetts General Hospital) 
• Janet Wozniak, MD: Bipolar Disorder and the Paradigm Shift in Pediatric Psychiatry (Massachusetts General Hospital – Charged Podcast) 
• Support Kids and Teens Following the Riot In Our Nation’s Capitol (MGH Clay Center) 
• What Is Telepsychiatry? (American Psychiatric Association) 
• The Child Psychiatrist is In Your Living Room (MGH Clay Center) 
• Emerging Technologies and the Frontiers of Autism Research (MGH Clay Center) 
• Preparing For Your Child’s First Appointment With A Mental Health Clinician (MGH Clay Center) 
• Make Telehealth for Behavioral Health Permanent (GBH News) 
• VIRUS TODAY: Coronavirus deaths hit another daily high in US (The Associated Press) 
• Hospitals vaccine rollout starts out rough, but picks up steam (Boston 25 News) 
• Injections Of Second Coronavirus Vaccine Doses Have Begun (NPR) 

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan

Episode edited by Joshua Eng

Music by Gene Beresin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s young people are spending more time online than previous generations, and many parents and caregivers worry about how digital media is affecting their mental, emotional, and social well-being. Strengthening media literacy skills can help us all better use media as engaged and informed consumers. But what does “media literacy” mean, and how can we help kids and teens build these skills?  

On today’s episode of 'Shrinking It Down,' Dr. Michael Robb, Senior Director of Research at Common Sense Media, joins Gene and Khadijah to talk about how parents can help kids better understand the media they use, and make healthier choices about it. Plus, why the quality of screen content matters more than the amount of screen time. Tune in for more!  

Thank you for joining in this conversation. If you have a question about helping kids build media literacy skills, we’d love to hear from you. Write to us! 

Media List

Follow along with the conversation.

• Michael Robb, PhD (Common Sense Media) 
• Home Alone (YouTube) 
• The Beatles - Ticket To Ride (YouTube) 
• Ticket to Ride (Days of Wonder)  
• Common Sense Media  
• Common Sense Education  
• Common Sense Kids Action  
• What is media literacy, and why is it important? (Common Sense Media) 
• Common Sense Media Reviews 
• Chasing Coral (Common Sense Media) 
• 3 Things Parents Should Do If a Child Is Being Cyberbullied (MGH Clay Center) 
• Screen time and kids: Parents need to worry less about hours logged (CNN) 
• Could Screen-Free Week Backfire? Finding The Middle Ground (MGH Clay Center) 
• Gaming Disorder: Is It a Real Illness? (MGH Clay Center) 
• How to Talk to Teens About Dealing with Online Predators (Common Sense Media) 
• Digital Parenting 101 — Screen Time to Social Media (Verywell Family) 
• eParenting: Setting Limits Even If Your Kids Know More Than You Do (MGH Clay Center) 
• The Immediacy of Digital Media: For Better or Worse? (MGH Clay Center) 
• Stressed about your kid’s screen time? Don’t be (The Boston Globe)
• Why Are Teens So Lonely and What Can They Do to Combat Loneliness? (MGH Clay Center)  
• Data Show No Evidence That Teens’ Social Media Use Predicts Depression Over Time (Association for Psychological Science) 
• Teens Did Surprisingly Well In Quarantine (The Atlantic) 
• Fauci Says End to Pandemic Is in Sight, Thanks to Vaccines (Bloomberg News) 
• How Do We Heal From Here? – Shrinking It Down (MGH Clay Center) 

Episode produced by Joshua Eng

Music by Gene Beresin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today is the shortest day of the year! That means the daylight only increases from here, a great boost for our brains as many kids and families move into winter break. We'll be taking a break, too, but not until after a very special episode this Wednesday.

During school break, kids and teens may be turning to more digital media to fill the time - at least different forms of media than they've been using for remote learning. TV, smartphones, social media, video games, and more. So we have a very special guest to help families understand more about media literacy and mental health. Dr. Michael Robb, Senior Director of Research at Common Sense Media, joins us for a conversation on how to help even the youngest kids better understand the media they consume, and make healthier choices about it.

Tune in Wednesday!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to structural racism in healthcare, commitment to change stems from the top in creating physically and emotionally healthier communities. Today, on ‘Shrinking It Down,’ special guest Joseph Betancourt, MD, MPH, Vice President and Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), joins Gene and Khadijah to help us understand how seriously MGH takes this charge.

Dr. Betancourt has focused his life’s work on issues of equity and social justice, and has a long history of researching these issues and creating educational tools to improve cross-cultural interactions and increase diversity and equity in healthcare. In this episode, he talks through some of the things MGH is doing to improve hospital culture. Included in this is training to help hospital leaders, clinicians, and staff make progress in tackling implicit bias, and the need to measure and demonstrate this progress, so that training doesn’t become just another ‘check-the-box’ tool.

Thank you for joining in this conversation. Do you have a comment or question about MGH’s efforts to address and eliminate racism, and achieve equity and social justice? Write to us!

Media List

Follow along with the conversation.

• Joseph Betancourt, MD, MPH (Massachusetts General Hospital)
• Mongan Institute for Health Policy Center (Massachusetts General Hospital)
• Quality Interactions
• Home for the Holidays During COVID-19: Facing Empty Chairs at the Table (MGH Clay Center)
• Puppies are Harder to Raise than Babies (Fatherly)
• In The News (MGH Clay Center)
• How Mass General Brigham Plans to Dismantle Racism In And Outside Hospital Walls (WBUR)
• Mass General Brigham President and CEO’s Update to Employees On Racial Injustice (Mass General Brigham)
• Mass General Structural Equity 10-Point Plan (Massachusetts General Hospital)
• Moving Toward Anti-Racism for Our Future Generations, featuring O’Neil Britton, MD (MGH Clay Center)
• Not me! Doctors, Decisions, and Disparities in Health Care (Cardiovascular Reviews & Reports)
• Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care (National Academies Press)
• New Art Exhibit Shines Light on Mental Illness in Unique Way (McLean Hospital)
• It’s not up to black people to cure white racism (The Boston Globe)
• Peak 2020: Early Christmas cheer hilariously crushed by ‘saddest’ Rockefeller Center tree (USA Today)
• Biden on nominating diverse Cabinet: ‘I’m going to keep my commitment’ (Channel 3000)
• Mending a House Divided: Bringing Peace and Good Will to the Holidays (MGH Clay Center)

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan

Music by Gene Beresin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the pandemic, mental health concerns have risen across the country. But in communities that were already underserved, the burden is even greater, as hardships build one on top of the other: risk for illness, food insecurity, being an essential worker, being unemployed, kids not able to go to school, fear of housing evictions, resurfacing of trauma. Chelsea, Massachusetts is one such community where family stress is at near-crisis levels.

Today, on “Shrinking It Down,” Gene and Khadijah welcome special guest Mary Lyons-Hunter, PsyD, Unit Chief of Behavioral Health at the MGH Chelsea HealthCare Center. For over 22 years, Dr. Lyons-Hunter has had passion and boots on the ground in Chelsea, engaging with and learning from residents in order to best serve this richly diverse community.

No time has proven more challenging than COVID-19 in responding to the community’s needs, but MGH Chelsea has made huge strides. Tune in for more on how MGH Chelsea has adapted its practices in public health outreach and clinical service to support the wide range of stressors families are facing. Plus, among the Center’s many efforts is a new pilot program to support children struggling with anxiety.

Thank you for joining in this conversation. If you have a story about the work being done in your community to support family mental health, we’d love to hear. Write to us!

Media List

Follow along with the conversation.

• Mary Lyons Hunter, PsyD
• MGH Chelsea HealthCare Center
• Oxytocin: Chemistry Between People and Dogs Is Real (BARk)
• U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Chelsea city, Massachusetts (U.S. Department of Commerce)
• Why the city of Chelsea has been so hard hit by coronavirus (Boston.com)
• Chelsea is about to become the country’s biggest experiment in giving out no-strings-attached checks (The Boston Globe)
• MBTA’s Silver Line Expands to Chelsea (WBUR)
• Improving Access to Care—Community Health Workers and Patient Navigators (Massachusetts General Hospital)
• Police Action Counseling Team (PACT)
• Geocode Maps Spotlight Disparities in Telehealth Utilization During the COVID-19 Pandemic in New York City (Telemedicine and e-Health)
• Community Engagement, Module B5 (World Health Organization)
• Mass General Hospital Community Health Videos (YouTube)
• Treating the Poor: A Personal Sojourn Through the Rise and Fall Of Community Mental Health (Matthew P. Dumont)
• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) - CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• The #YouCanBeABCs with Sam (Facebook – Bobby White)

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan

Music by Gene Beresin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the body is injured, it begins the healing process despite the ongoing physical injury. Our minds should be no different. Right now – amidst a pandemic, economic strain, political tension, rising mental illness, and more – we are desperately in need of emotional healing, despite the many challenges ahead. But communities are divided, families are divided, and fear and anger are rampant. How do we heal from here?

On today’s episode, Dr. Gene Beresin and Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins think hard about and reflect on how to begin the healing process, for ourselves and the young people in our lives. A fundamental place to start is with our relationships – those in our families, in our communities, and with ourselves. They share ideas to mentally prepare for being mindful of judgement, managing our expectations, focusing on the positive, and fostering kindness. Plus, we have two special guests coming up this podcast season. Tune in for more.

Thank you for joining in this conversation. What’s helped you to begin the healing process during the pandemic? We’d love to know. Write to us!

Media List

Follow along with the conversation.

• Star Wars: Teaser Trailer (Star Wars)
• This Supercute Kid Costume Compilation Has Us Totally Melting (POPSUGAR)
• High Levels of Stress Due to the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic among Parents of Children with and without Chronic Conditions across the USA (Children)
• The Pandemic Parenting Guide: How to Improve Your Child/Teen’s (and Your Own) Emotional Well-Being in Times of COVID-19 (Anxiety and Depression Association of America)
• Managing Family Conflict During Covid (MGH Clay Center)
• Evidence That Conservative Students Really Do Self-Censor (The Atlantic)
• Tips for Practicing Active Listening (Verywell Mind)
• General Mental Health & Coping (Massachusetts General Hospital)
• Parents have never had more reason to drink – or more reasons to avoid it (The Boston Globe)
• Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT): A Closer Look (MGH Clay Center)
• The Flaw In Our New Year’s Resolutions: A Few Tips for Focusing on the Positive (MGH Clay Center)
• Creativity Gives Our Brains a Boost (MGH Clay Center)
• The Illuminated Collage (MGH Clay Center)
• Bipolar Disorder and the Arts: Mark Vonnegut’s Story (MGH Clay Center)
• When Doing Good Boosts Health, Well-Being (American Psychological Association)
• Why Parents Need Self-Compassion During the Coronavirus Pandemic (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)
• “Sage advice from an expert…” (Elizabeth Pinsky, MD on Twitter)  
• Photos of Massachusetts’ first major snowfall of the season (The Boston Globe)

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan

Music by Gene Beresin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the pandemic began, many families have spent more time together. A lot more time.

More time together than we’re used to + challenging times + uncertainty about the future + none of the outlets we'd typically use to recharge = a perfect storm for rising family conflict. Conflict between siblings, conflict between kids and parents, conflict between partners or other adults at home – all relationships feel up for grabs. What can we do to help?

As we launch a new season of ‘Shrinking It Down: Mental Health Made Simple,’ Dr. Gene Beresin and our new co-host, Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins, put their shrink caps on to delve into family conflict. They talk about how conflict manifests, strategies to prevent conflict, and ways to diffuse conflict and move towards resolution. Plus, Gene and Khadijah react to a high school student’s comment about conflict during quarantine. Tune in!

We hope that our conversation helps you to have yours. Do you have your own story about family conflict during COVID-19, or tips that have helped you to manage it? Write to us!

Media List

Follow along with the conversation.

• Khadijah Booth Watkins, MD, MPH (MGH Clay Center)
• Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Residency of Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital (Massachusetts General Hospital)
• When Your Dog Dies: Reflections on Losing Your Best Friend (MGH Clay Center)
• Fiddler on the Roof (8/10) Movie CLIP – Miracle of Miracles (1971) HD (Movieclips)
• 2020 Compare Cities Climate: New York, NY vs Boston, MA (BestPlaces)
• COVID-19 and College Students (MGH Clay Center)
• There’s been a lot of talk about protecting our kids. But parents, you need support, too. (The Boston Globe)
• Managing Challenging Behavior in Kids During Stressful Times, featuring J. Stuart Ablon, PhD (MGH Clay Center)
• Is Your Family Experiencing Greater Conflict During a Time of Self-Quarantine? (The New York Times)
• What Students Are Saying About Family Conflict In Quarantine (The New York Times)
• Pandemic 2020 Resources (The Family Dinner Project)
• You Can’t Always Get What You Want (Live) - OFFICIAL (The Rolling Stones)
• Pittsburgh Steelers defeat Cleveland Browns, move to 5-0 for just second time (ESPN)
• Five Parenting Tips for Civility and Coping With the Political Climate (MGH Clay Center)

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan

Music by Gene Beresin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’re Black or Brown and growing up in America, it's noticeable from a very young age that something feels off. That’s because, no matter where you go, there is a layered, structural unfairness that plays out. The harmful impact of this unfairness begins to take its toll on even the youngest developing minds.

On today’s episode of Shrinking It Down, special guest O’Neil Britton, MD, chief medical officer and senior vice president of Massachusetts General Hospital, joins Gene Beresin for a conversation about continued racial inequities in our society, social justice, and our duty to do better for future generations. They discuss how structural racism built in to education and healthcare systems affects kids and families, and think critically about steps we must take – individually and institutionally – to do more in moving towards an anti-racist Boston, and an anti-racist America.

Thank you for joining in this conversation. Have a question or comment about racism and families? Write to us!

Media List

Follow along with the conversation.

• O’Neil Britton, MD (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)
• K-12 Commissioner Says Some Schools May Continue To Use Distance Learning In The Fall (WGBH, Boston Public Radio)
• Communities of color continue to be hit hardest in most populated cities (ABC News)
• COVID-19 in Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• 11 ways race isn’t real (Vox)
• More than Tuskegee: Understanding Mistrust about Research Participation (Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved)
• How we fail black patients in pain (American Academy of Medical Colleges)
• Metro Areas With Largest African American Population (Black Demographics)
• New York City Subway Map (Metropolitan Transit Authority)
• Rapid Transit/Key Bus Routes Map (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority)
• Color Line Persists, In Sickness as In Health (The Boston Globe)
• The Binary Code of Racism | Tracey Benson | TEDxUNCCharlotte (TEDx Talks – YouTube)
• A Sociologist Examines the “White Fragility” That Prevents White Americans From Confronting Racism (The New Yorker)
• MGH Structural Equity 10-Point Plan (MGH Center for Diversity and Inclusion)
• The legacy of trauma (American Psychological Association)
• Do Kids Have a Fundamental Sense of Fairness? (Scientific American)
• How We Talked About Racism With Our Very young Kids: A Child Psychiatrist Mom’s Conversation With Her 5- and 3-Year-Old Sons (MGH Clay Center)
• Teaching Black History Beyond Slavery and Black History Month (PBS)
• Teaching for the Test or Teaching for Real Life? (MGH Clay Center)
• Ibram X. Kendi – Books
• The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription (The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration)
• Five Parenting Rules for Coping With the Current Political Climate (MGH Clay Center)
• Remembering Civil Rights Icon John Lewis (WBUR, Here & Now)
• Coronavirus and Family Mental Health (MGH Clay Center)
• The racial wealth gap (Economic Policy Institute)
• Black Homeowners Pay More Than ‘Fair Share’ in Property Taxes (PEW)

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan

Music by Gene Beresin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've wrapped up Season 3, but we have a summer episode coming up.

Next week, we welcome very special guest O'Neil Britton, MD, chief medical officer and senior vice president of Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Britton joins Gene to discuss racism's continued impact on community health and well-being, and to think critically about ways that each individuals, communities, and healthcare systems can do more and do better in moving towards an anti-racist Boston, and an anti-racist America.

Stay tuned! We'll see you next week.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.