June 25, 2026

Caring for the Community One Child at a Time

Helping Every Child Grow, Learn and Thrive Every parent wants the same thing: a healthy, happy child with the support they need to grow, learn and thrive. A new community health report from Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego offers a closer look at what families across San Diego are experiencing and how schools, health care…

Community Impact
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October 24, 2023

Amelia’s Triumph Over Chronic Pain: A Journey to Recovery

Missing school. Frequent visits to the emergency room. Spending days in bed. Feeling depressed. This was what Amelia’s life looked like after a sports injury left her in constant pain. Amelia, once a vibrant and active teenager, watched as her life, health, and schoolwork spiraled downwards. She eventually was diagnosed with amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome…

Chronic Pain and Pain Management
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November 1, 2022

The Perils of Perfection – Making Holidays Less Stressful

It’s right around the corner! The holiday season. This time of year can really dial up the pressure on already overextended parents. The urge to provide your family with a “perfect” holiday can wreak havoc on your well-being while entertaining, travel and gifting can also do a number on the wallet. “Balancing the excitement and…

Behavioral Health
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May 3, 2022

An Informative Q&A with Dr. Ben Maxwell on Mental Health

To kick off #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, Dr. Ben Maxwell, medical director of inpatient psychiatry and interim director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Services at Rady Children’s, participated in San Diego Business Journal’s Healthcare Roundtable: An Informative Q&A With the Region’s Top Behavioral Health Professionals. How is your organization addressing mental health in the community? Over the past…

Behavioral Health
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April 19, 2022

Getting to Know: Christina Baker, PsyD, clinical psychologist

The American Psychological Association recognizes the third week in April as Psychology Week. Psychologists often wear many hats and can specialize in health care, education, research, workplace improvement and technology. Psychologists at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego are working in both inpatient and outpatient settings to ensure they are meeting the behavioral health needs of patients…

Rady Children's Staff
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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…

Rady Children's Staff
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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…

Rady Children's Staff
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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
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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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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…

Parenting tips
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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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