July 9, 2021

The New Back-to-School Anxiety

Back-to-school season can always feel a bit uncertain, but this year, kids and teens are facing a unique set of circumstances as many return to in-person learning for the first time since March 2020. “The majority of children have been expressing concerns about returning to school, whether it’s minor worry or more significant and impairing,”…

Behavioral Health, COVID-19
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May 5, 2021

Mental Health Needs More Than a Moment

by Anne Bird, MD May is National Mental Health Awareness Month: a 31-day reminder of the importance of paying attention to our own mental wellness, and the emotional well-being of those around us. The first full week in May is further dedicated to the mental health of our children, supporting seven days of renewed commitment…

Behavioral Health, Staff Stories
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March 30, 2021

Getting to Know: Sandy Mueller, LCSW, Senior Director of Behavioral Health Services

Mental well-being has increasingly become a major focus in our conversations about overall health, and for Sandy Mueller, LCSW, senior director of Behavioral Health Services at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, that’s a very good thing. Our whole-child approach means the team supporting children includes a growing list of care providers, including pediatricians; psychologists, psychiatrists and…

Behavioral Health, Staff Stories
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December 10, 2020

How Gratitude Can Influence Kids’ Well-Being

Even if our lives are largely fulfilling, it’s not unusual to have moments where it’s tough to feel that way — and the same goes for kids, too. However, studies show that expressing gratitude can have benefits such as supporting physical and mental well-being, boosting self-esteem, and enhancing sleep quality; all of which contribute to…

Behavioral Health, Child Development
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May 29, 2020

Take the Compassion, Connection and Control Challenge

by Desiree Shapiro, MD  COVID-19 has affected all of our lives and challenged us in various ways. How do we support one another and cultivate our resilience amidst the chaos? Here are three C’s to consider incorporating into your daily routine and sharing with your children and family today. Compassion This is a time to…

Behavioral Health, COVID-19
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May 15, 2020

Supporting Whole-Family Mental Health During COVID-19

Whether you’re 5, 35 or 95, sheltering in place and social distancing can be challenging. With consistent feelings of uncertainty, interruptions to routines and activities, and limitations on seeing friends and family, it’s no wonder reports of effects on mental well-being are on the rise. Recent surveys indicated young adults are feeling more anxious and…

Behavioral Health, COVID-19, The Chadwick Center for Children & Families
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October 9, 2019

How Routine Depression Screenings Can Help Protect Kids

At Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, we believe in managing care for the whole child, which includes both their physical and mental health. While you can often see when children are suffering from an injury or illness, the signs of a serious mental health condition are often more difficult to pinpoint — especially in kids and…

Behavioral Health
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April 9, 2019

What’s Now and Next in Autism Spectrum Disorder Research?

Between 2000 and 2014, the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States more than doubled, from approximately one in 150 to approximately one in 59[1]. While it’s difficult to say whether this is due to a true increase in incidence, to heightened awareness and more frequent assessments, or a…

Behavioral Health, Research and Innovation
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February 8, 2019

Bad Romance: Raising Awareness of Abuse in Teen Relationships

While most romantic relationships forged in teenage years don’t last forever, they can typically be looked back on for fond memories, lessons learned … or at least a good-natured eye roll. But the American Psychological Association (APA) reports that for more than 10 percent of high school students, young love includes physical, verbal or emotional…

Behavioral Health, Safety
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January 21, 2019

Drugs and Alcohol: Know the Facts

By the time they reach their junior year of high school, about 52 percent of kids in California have had an alcoholic drink at least once, while 43.5 percent, 40 percent, 22 percent and 6 percent have gotten high at least once using cold or cough medicine, marijuana, prescription pain medicine, and cocaine or amphetamines,…

Behavioral Health, Safety
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December 4, 2018

Simple Tips for Raising a Compassionate Kid

As parents, you strive to instill good values in your kids — mind your manners, be a good sport, sharing is caring. Among the most prized of these warm and fuzzy human traits is having compassion for others, but it can be tough to gauge when children are ready to grasp and grow this emotionally…

Behavioral Health, Child Development
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November 5, 2018

Beating Up Bullying

In recent years, bullying has become increasingly recognized as a widespread and common issue for young people. And it’s not just happening during those classically challenging middle school years. About 20 percent of high school students are bullied[1], while 90 percent of elementary school children say they’ve been bullied at least once by their peers[2].…

Behavioral Health
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