Guest blogger: Katie Linsky Shaw, photojournalist Over the past couple of years, the media has finally started to report on the youth mental health crisis that has existed for decades. Yay, us…am I right? (Here’s where a very dramatic eye roll fits nicely.) Yes, they’re finally talking about this very real issue that’s been ignored …

As any parent of a psychologically struggling child knows, a simple recipe of hot baths and scented candles is not going to do much to lift your spirits when you’re deeply disheartened and worn to the nub. Mind you, these things (along with a potent cup of coffee!), didn’t hurt, but to get through some …

On December 7, 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General released a 53-page Advisory paper on youth mental health. The Advisory is an extraordinary document that draws attention to and elevates the youth mental health crisis that has long existed and has been exacerbated by the lingering pandemic and its social isolation. The Advisory provides a comprehensive overview …

Due to the lingering pandemic, 2021 left Americans grappling with “covid fatigue” and an enormous amount of uncertainty and change. At the same time, many of us began re-evaluating our larger values, priorities, and life choices in positive ways. If there is a silver lining to the disruption of the past 20 months, it’s that …

No parent imagines a future where their 9-year-old child spends five weeks in a psychiatric unit. It was certainly the furthest thing from a possibility in my mind. Then came the pandemic.  Online learning (epic fail); homeschooling (disaster); nearly a year homebound with a single, working parent (devastatingly lonely); way too much time staring at …

When I first watched NO LETTING GO, the film that recounts our founder, Randi Silverman’s, experience as she struggled to find resources and support for her struggling child, there was so much that I related to in the film: the fear, the pain, the terrible feeling that you are doing everything you can to help …

If there is ever a time to focus on gratitude, certainly it is during this season of Thanksgiving. Studies have shown that there are many benefits to finding and expressing gratitude on a regular basis, including increased happiness, improved physical and mental health, better life satisfaction, decreased levels of depression, and improvements in social connections, …

Our nation’s college students are in grave danger. Despite their best efforts, many universities are facing viral outbreaks, closing their doors, and sending students home. But what about the thousands of colleges that have remained open? Are they keeping their students safe? Administrators at many colleges (especially those with smaller student bodies) are answering with …

Fathers need support, too! At The Parent Support Network, we love the perspective that men bring when they attend our meetings. Dads are particularly vulnerable to the stigma around raising a child with a mental health disorder and they don’t often have the opportunity to share their feelings in a safe environment. The isolation can …