Talking About Kids

This episode is the first in Talking About Kids’ series on eating disorders. Over four episodes, leading experts and I will discuss prevalence, consequences, prevention, and the resources available to help you help the kids in your classroom, program or home. We will address body image, food, language, and when and how to intervene. My guest to start us off with a description of who is impacted, who is at-risk, and who is often overlooked, is the award-winning researcher, educator, and advocate, Bryn Austin. Bryn is responsible for some of the most-cited and most-impactful research on eating disorders. She is the Founding Director of the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders (STRIPED) at Harvard University, where she also is a Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the School of Public Health and a Professor of Pediatrics in the Medical School. More information about Bryn and resources hand-picked by her, including a tool for finding treatment providers in your area, are at talkingaboutkids.com.

Sibling aggression and abuse are often described as “invisible” by experts because of society’s tendency to confuse them with sibling rivalry or dismiss them as a natural part of growing up. However, the consequences of sibling aggression and abuse are very visible and potentially debilitating. My guest this episode is Corinna Jenkins Tucker, Director of the Sibling Aggression and Abuse Research and Advocacy Initiative (SAARA) at the University of New Hampshire. Corinna and her colleagues at SAARA are working to increase awareness of sibling aggression and abuse and provide guidance on preventing and addressing their occurrences. More information about Corinna and SAARA is at talkingaboutkids.com.

Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) is an evidence-based therapy that can help kids overcome anxiety, depression, guilt, and a variety self-defeating thoughts and behaviors. My guest today to explain REBT is the legendary therapist Debbie Joffe Ellis. Among other things, Deb is a licensed mental health counselor, an adjunct professor at Columbia University (where she teaches Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy and Comparative Psychotherapies), and the author of second edition of the book Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. More information about Deb is at talkingaboutkids.com

Stanley Krippner has received multiple lifetime achievement awards from the American Psychological Association, including the Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology and the Award for Distinguished Lifetime Contributions to Humanistic Psychology. He is the subject of the edited volume, Stanley Krippner: A life of dreams, myths, and visions, and his own three-volume memoir, A Chaotic Life, came out just this year. At 92, Stan continues to write, lecture, and conduct research. I recently had the opportunity talking with Stan about helping kids process dreams. The interview took place in my living room, where he is better known by my wife and daughter as Uncle Stanley. More information about Stan, including a link to his autobiography, is talkingaboutkids.com.

Zetta Elliott writes the kinds of books that she wanted to read when she was younger. They are sweeping, fantastic, and crackling with energy. Zetta and I discuss the latest addition to her Dragons in a Bag series, entitled The Oracle’s Door, and what it means to kids to read about aspirational protagonists with whom they share experiences, gender, and skin color. More information about Zetta, including a link to her books, is at talkingaboutkids.com. 

There is a simple equation when it comes to raising a healthy and happy kid: the more competent and caring adults there are in the life of a kid, the better off that kid will be. Unfortunately, policies and prejudices often prevent fathers from being present to their own children. My guest today to discuss these problems and what is being done to address them is the dedicated father, public servant, and public policy researcher at MEF Associates, Sundjata Aya. More information about Sundjata, including a links to his research projects, is at talkingaboutkids.com. 

By several measures, 2024 is on course to be one of the worst ever in terms of gun violence on school campuses. My guest this episode to discuss these tragic incidents is David Riedman. David is the founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database, arguably the most complete accounting of school shootings in the United States. As you will hear, David's own analysis of the data has revealed some chilling findings that suggest that many schools’ prevention efforts and active shooter plans are, at best, inadequate and ill-informed, and, at worst, making students more vulnerable. This episode was intentionally produced to support the formation and coordination of adolescent-centered care and services, so you also will hear from Tracy Pedrotti of the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health. It was recorded live using a webinar platform to encourage questions from alliance members and other listeners. More information about David, the K-12 School Shooting Database, and the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health is at talkingaboutkids.com.

The U.S. is in the middle of what many experts are a calling a “mental health crisis.” As a result, there is increased interest in initiatives that place mental health clinicians on campuses. Despite research suggesting that this model should help students, there was, until recently, little evidence that school-based mental health services have the desired impacts. My guest this episode is Ezra Golberstein, Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Ezra and his colleagues recently published an article entitled, “Effects of School-Based Mental Health Services on Youth Outcomes,” in which he examines the causal effects of the approach. He and I discuss his findings. More information about Ezra, including a link to his article, is at talkingaboutkids.com. 

I doubt that anyone listening to the Talking About Kids podcast needs science to tell them that kids form deep attachments to their pets. However, it is worth noting the research on kids’ emotional reactions to a pet’s death. Studies show that a pet’s death may be traumatic for children and associated with subsequent mental health difficulties. A mitigating factor may be bereavement or how kids are allowed to process that death. My guest today to explore this topic is licensed mental health counselor and animal lover Anne Marie Farage-Smith. Anne Marie shares some practical tips for supporting children from her newly released book, Healing Wisdom for Pet Loss: An Animal Lover’s Guide to Grief. More information about Anne Marie and her book are at talkingaboutkids.com.

My guest this episode is Timothy McKnight, a respected pediatrician, a second-generation Black physician, and an innovative leader. Tim believes that more can be done to address the healthcare disparities that too many families face, and he believes that pediatricians are in a unique position to help bring about the necessary changes. It is why he teaches leadership skills to pediatricians and why he is the Director of a program that supports students from communities that face healthcare disparities on their paths to becoming physicians. Tim and I discuss his inspirational work, as well as what you can do to help end healthcare disparities. More information about Tim is at talkingaboutkids.com.