Articles by Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Gene Beresin, MD, MA is executive director of The MGH Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, and a staff child and adolescent psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is also a full professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. To learn more about Gene, or to contact him directly, please see Our Team.

Youth Athlete Mental Health ft. Dr. Mai Uchida, MD – Shrinking It Down

April 14, 2022

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Youth Athlete Mental Health ft. Dr. Mai Uchida, MD – Shrinking It Down

At what point are we pushing our young athletes too hard? We all watched 15-year-old Russian Olympic skater, Kamila Valieva, exit the ice in tears after a doping scandal. Where did the adults in her life fail her? What can be done to make sure situations like this don’t happen again? These are the questions […]

Suicidio en Primavera: ¿Una Combi-nación (Im)probable?

April 6, 2022

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Suicidio en Primavera: ¿Una Combi-nación (Im)probable?

Todos sabemos que los intentos de suicidio, la ideación suicida e incluso la tragedia de morirse por suicidio aumentan durante los días festivos de invierno. Es algo que damos por hecho. Está en toda la prensa, está en la cultura popular. Es la fuerza impulsora detrás de la gran desesperación que se entrevé tanto en […]

Self-Esteem: How do we build our kids up? – Shrinking It Down

March 31, 2022

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Self-Esteem: How do we build our kids up? – Shrinking It Down

Low self-esteem gets all of us down at one point or another. For kids, the goal is to help build them back up. Lots of things can lower our kids’ self-esteem like body image, cyberbullying, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and surprisingly, guilt (along with lots of other things!). This week, Gene and Khadijah break down […]

Low Self-Esteem: Where Does It Come From and What Can Adults Do to Help?

March 24, 2022

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Low Self-Esteem: Where Does It Come From and What Can Adults Do to Help?

You can also listen to more about self-esteem below, or ‘Shrinking It Down’ wherever you get your podcasts. Let’s consider two adolescent scenarios. First, Sasha: Sasha was born a worrier. She’s always been a shy, sensitive kid with a lot of anxiety. Luckily, she’s had supportive family members, friends, and teachers, who have gently pushed […]

Ukraine: What Do We Tell Our Kids? – Shrinking It Down

March 17, 2022

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Ukraine: What Do We Tell Our Kids? – Shrinking It Down

The crisis in Ukraine feels to many like the straw that broke the camel’s back. Between the COVID pandemic, systemic racism, the climate crisis, and now the war in Ukraine, the world may feel increasingly unsafe. Very young children, though, actually respond more to their adults’ distress than to the tragic events themselves. That said, […]

Body Image and Young People featuring Dr. Holly Peek, MD, MPH – Shrinking It Down

March 3, 2022

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Body Image and Young People featuring Dr. Holly Peek, MD, MPH – Shrinking It Down

Turning on TV, opening a magazine, or going on our phones these days, kids are overwhelmed with images showing us what we should look like. Even on “reality” TV, none of the people look like your average person. With all of these images circulating in our everyday lives, it is easy for any of us […]

Manejo de la ira: cómo ayudarlo a usted y a sus hijos a mantener el control

March 1, 2022

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Manejo de la ira: cómo ayudarlo a usted y a sus hijos a mantener el control

Todos se enojan de vez en cuando, tanto los padres como los niños. La ira es una emoción normal que forma parte de la respuesta de “lucha o huida” . Esto significa que es una emoción que nos informa que algo en nuestras vidas es amenazante, frustrante, perturbador o injusto. Muchas situaciones nos hacen sentir enojados, como conflictos en […]

P + R: Una vez que haya descubierto que su hijo adolescente está usando Marihuana y lo haya confrontado, ¿cuál es el siguiente paso que se recomienda?

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P + R: Una vez que haya descubierto que su hijo adolescente está usando Marihuana y lo haya confrontado, ¿cuál es el siguiente paso que se recomienda?

No es inusual descubrir de una forma u otra que su adolescente está consumiendo alguna sustancia. Las sustancias más comunes son el alcohol y la marihuana. Si bien esta pregunta es sobre la marihuana, tengamos en cuenta que el uso de cualquier sustancia es preocupante en un niño. La mayoría de los padres tendrán muchas preocupaciones. ¿Con qué […]

El impacto del divorcio: todos los niños solo tienen una niñez

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El impacto del divorcio: todos los niños solo tienen una niñez

Navegar por el divorcio es un problema y una responsabilidad de los adultos. Sin embargo, con demasiada frecuencia los niños se ven atrapados en el fuego cruzado del conflicto matrimonial de sus padres. Durante un divorcio, es comprensible que los adultos se vuelvan ensimismados. De hecho, pueden concentrarse tanto en su propia tristeza, y preocupaciones que sin darse […]

Alcohol and Adolescents, featuring John F. Kelly, PhD, ABPP – Shrinking It Down

February 17, 2022

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Alcohol and Adolescents, featuring John F. Kelly, PhD, ABPP – Shrinking It Down

Did you know that 3 out of 4 addiction cases in the U.S. are alcohol addictions, and kids who start drinking before age 15 are significantly more likely to develop an alcohol use disorder than those who wait? Alcohol causes more deaths each year than all other drugs combined, including around 5,000 deaths to children […]

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