Articles by Khadijah Booth Watkins and Gene Beresin

September 12, 2025

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Your Lived Experience and Advocacy: Transforming Mental Health for Youth

What if our stories held more power than we know? What if our lived experience could help others who might be struggling? What if our experiences could help others gain a greater understanding of youth mental health? When a young person struggles with their mental health, there can be a profound effect on their friendships, […]

September 11, 2025

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

与孩子谈论亚裔“微歧视”： 家长与照护者指南

This article is also available in English 什么是微歧视，为什么了解微歧视很重要？ 你的孩子正在过孩子的日常生活：学习、参加社团、做运动、发展兴趣、交朋友。然而，他们可能会经受到“微歧视”. 微歧视是一类让人感到“不被接纳”的细微言行。与公开且带有恶意的“宏观歧视”（例如种族污言秽语）不同。微歧视往往出于非有意伤害，属于含蓄表达，但却反复强化“你是外人”的寓意。这些言行的影响会随时间不断累积，使被微歧视的孩子觉得像是被“千刀万剐”，最终会对孩子造成显著的伤害。以下是一些例子： “你到底是从哪里来的？”（暗示他们不可能是美国人，尽管孩子是在美国出生的。） “你一定擅长数学和电脑。”（将孩子标签化、种族刻板化） “你的午饭好臭。”（暗示他们的民族食物“很不对劲”） 作为在亚洲国家长大的家长来说，这些话也许看起来“没什么”， 甚至像是恭维；但微歧视对孩子会带来严重的后果。研究显示，抑郁症、社会疏离、学业表现不佳以及自杀意念都与被微歧视及其他形式的歧视相关。尤其值得关注的是，自杀是亚裔青少年的首要死因。 这些发现无疑为我们敲响了警钟。正因如此，家长们更应意识到微歧视对儿童心理健康可能造成的深远危害。忽视微歧视，并不会使它自然消失，也不会让孩子因此变得“更坚强”；相反，这样的沉默与忽视，会将孩子置于孤独的情感风暴中。与其期待他们独自承受，不如我们主动伸出双手——在不同成长阶段，与孩子共同预防、及早干预、积极应对，这才是真正能够陪伴他们穿越风雨的方式。 我们每个人都应当对微歧视保持警觉。家长和照护者可以参考克莱中心（Clay Center）提出的“3W”原则，即：观察什么（What to Look For）、何时担忧（When to Worry）以及如何行动（What to Do）。以下将结合真实情境，具体说明这一方法如何运用。 观察什么 亚裔家长与照护者要如何识别微歧视？ 微歧视可能来自方方面面：同伴、老师、教练、学校管理者、社区成员，甚至网上的陌生人。若你过去未曾经历过或留意过这类行为，确实不容易察觉。以下提供一个简洁有效的判断方法: “3 S检测”（The “3 S Test”）：： 是否被 SINGLE OUT（区别对待）？ 比如，当有人说“你的午饭味道好怪”时，实则是将孩子与他人区别开来、划出了“我们”和“他们”的界限。 是否被 STEREOTYPED（刻板归类）？ 例如，“所有亚裔都擅长数学和电脑”听起来像是表扬，却可能带来沉重的心理负担：如果孩子并不擅长，他们可能因害怕让家人失望而不敢求助、过度自责；另一方面，若孩子认为必须符合这种期待才能获得认可，他们就可能压抑自己真正的兴趣——比如写作或艺术——转而盲目追求他人设定的标准。 是否受到 SUBTLE（隐性）的冒犯或被“他者化”？ 比如有人问：“你到底是哪里人？” 这个问题可能没有恶意，也不像直接的种族侮辱，但它隐含了“你不属于这里”的排斥感，会让孩子感到自己被视作外人、难以真正融入。 何时需要担心 当以上任一问题的答案为“是”时，就很可能构成了微歧视。即便你并不完全确定，也请重视孩子依据“3 S检测”所表达的感受和反应。一旦判断存在微歧视，就意味着需要认真关注和应对。 有些孩子可能表面显得更加坚强，或者短时间内没有表现出明显的情绪波动，但这并不代表他们没有受到伤害。微歧视所带来的情绪创伤有时是隐性的、延迟的，可能在未来的某个阶段对孩子产生影响，因此及早觉察采取行动是非常关键的。 微歧视及其他形式的歧视，可能对亚裔青少年的心理和行为造成多方面的负面影响，具体包括但不限于： 社交回避与孤立倾向：回避集体活动或人际交往； 焦虑、易怒与持续压力感：情绪波动增大，心理负荷加重； 睡眠质量下降：出现入睡困难、多梦或早醒等现象； 抑郁情绪与身体化症状：如情绪持续低落，并伴随无法解释的身体不适； 酒精滥用与药物使用风险增加：可能以此作为应对方式； 学习投入减少与学业表现下滑：对学校的认同感和参与度降低，成绩受到影响。 […]

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Talking to Your Child About Asian Microaggressions: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers

This article is also available in Chinese What are Microaggressions and Why Do They Matter? Your child is certainly dealing with all of the normal parts of being a kid, such as engaging in academics, joining clubs, playing sports, enjoying hobbies, and making friends. However, their experience may be impacted by microaggressions, which are subtle ways […]

September 10, 2025

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Facing the Loss of a Child to Suicide – A Father’s Account

If you think your child is thinking about suicide, take them seriously, stay with them, help them remove lethal means, and Call 988 | National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Today is World Suicide Prevention Day: a time to bring global attention to the urgent public health crisis of suicide and to reaffirm our collective commitment to prevention through […]

August 27, 2025

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

I Love You Dad: Words A Father Will Never Hear Again

If you think your child is thinking about suicide, take them seriously, stay with them, help them remove lethal means, and Call 988 | National Suicide Prevention Lifeline This blog post is part of a series entitled Real Lives, Real Stories: Personal Experiences with Mental Illness. Note: The following person’s account of his/her personal experience has been published […]

August 15, 2025

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

ADHD: The Transition to Adulthood

Welcome back to a new season of Shrinking it Down: Mental Health Made Simple! For our back-to-school season opener, we are joined by Dr. Tony Rostain for a deep dive on how ADHD changes from teen to adulthood. They break down the importance of early intervention, the benefits of school accommodations, and why anxiety and […]

July 28, 2025

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Overprotective Parenting: The Causes and Consequences of Being a Helicopter Parent

As parents, we all want our kids to succeed. Further, we have a basic need to protect our children, teens and young adults from physical, social, behavioral and emotional harm. In most cases this impulse is a sign of love. But since the mid 1980s, there has been an increasing tendency to micromanage our kids, […]

July 16, 2025

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Summertime Loneliness: A Guide for Parents to Help Their Teens

Summertime, and the livin’ is Easy –  Dubose Haywood and Ira Gershwin This well-known tune from Porgy and Bess is one of the most memorable lullabies in music and standards in jazz. However, the livin’ ain’t always easy, and good thing mama and daddy are standin’ by. While summer is usually painted as a time […]

June 18, 2025

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Chasing Sunshine: Teen Loneliness and Tips for Beating the Summer Blues

While the summer is usually painted as time of fun, freedom, and relaxation, for many teens it can feel like the exact opposite — disconnected, isolating, and emotionally heavy. Without the daily structure of school or regular peer interaction, teens can find themselves feeling invisible, left out, or unsure of where they belong. In the […]

May 22, 2025

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

The Vital Role and Methods of Mental Health Advocacy

Why are our young people struggling so much? In this special episode for Mental Health Awareness Month, Gene and Khadijah dive into the growing youth mental health epidemic. They explore the sharp rise in anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges among children and teens since the 1980s—fueled by factors like social media, shifting family […]