Articles by Sara Rattigan, Communications Director
Sara Rattigan, M.S. is the communications director for The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, and a public health communicator whose passion has always centered around innovative approaches to health education and health promotion for youth of all ages. Before joining The Clay Center, Sara served as a health communications specialist at the MA Department of Public Health (MDPH), working with epidemiologists and industrial hygienists to use data findings to inform injury prevention intervention.
At MDPH, Sara had the honor of project managing and creatively contributing to Getting Hurt Is Not In Your Job Description, a Massachusetts statewide social marketing campaign to raise awareness among young workers about injury prevention and their rights and responsibilities on the job. After MDPH, she went on to provide oversight, at Harvard University, for a range of high-level Title IX projects specific to sexual and gender-based harassment education, prevention, and response, including project managing the adaptation of an undergraduate online training module for multiple graduate schools across the University.
Sara received her M.S. in health communication from Tufts University School of Medicine, and her B.A. in theatre arts from Fordham University’s College at Lincoln Center, with minors in communications and media studies, and creative writing.
To learn more about Sara, or to contact her directly, please see Our Team.Bipolar Disorder and The Arts: Mark Vonnegut’s Story
April 7, 2020
Bipolar Disorder and The Arts: Mark Vonnegut’s Story
Despite our growing awareness of mental health conditions, the relationship between creativity and mental illness is often misunderstood. In this Parent Strategy Announcement (PSA), Dr. Mark Vonnegut discusses how art helped him to overcome his own mental health challenges, and why mental illness doesn’t have to be a barrier to achievement and creativity. Watch our […]
COVID-19: Mental Health Check-In – Shrinking It Down
March 26, 2020
COVID-19: Mental Health Check-In – Shrinking It Down
Life as we know it has changed since our last episode. Concerns, disruptions, and uncertainty surrounding the new coronavirus disease have affected us all. While we can’t immediately change this public health crisis – though we can do our part by staying home if we’re able! – we do have the power to change how […]
Is Your Teen an Emotional Sponge? – Shrinking It Down
February 26, 2020
Is Your Teen an Emotional Sponge? – Shrinking It Down
Peers can be an excellent source of social support, and it’s great that more young people today talk to friends about their emotional challenges. But for every teen who shares, there’s another teen absorbing the info like an emotional sponge. And while it feels good to help a friend, it can also feel overwhelming – […]
Nature Versus Nurture, featuring Jordan Smoller, MD ScD – Shrinking It Down
February 12, 2020
Nature Versus Nurture, featuring Jordan Smoller, MD ScD – Shrinking It Down
Many parents worry that their own or a family member’s mental health disorder destine their children to struggle in the same way. But, while many psychiatric disorders do run in families to some extent, so do lots of things! Right down to food preferences and professions. So, how much do genes have to do with […]
Extra Time on Tests: Does It Work? – Shrinking It Down
January 29, 2020
Extra Time on Tests: Does It Work? – Shrinking It Down
The answer is, it depends. When “extra time” on tests first began decades ago, the goal was to level the playing field for students with learning disabilities by allotting them the same amount of time that everyone else had. Today, it seems every parent thinks their kid could benefit from extra time on tests, and in […]
A Clay Center Top 10 – Blog Year in Review
January 16, 2020
A Clay Center Top 10 – Blog Year in Review
Looking forward in 2020, we couldn’t help but look back at our most popular blog posts during 2019. Like everyone, we want to thrive in the year ahead. Learning what’s been of most interest and use to the parents and caregivers we serve helps us to decide on what new original content will best support […]
Kids Under Surveillance! – Shrinking It Down
January 15, 2020
Kids Under Surveillance! – Shrinking It Down
Tune in wherever you get your podcasts! Just search for “Shrinking It Down.” Today’s kids and teens are increasingly under surveillance, including by their own schools and parents. In some ways this is nothing new. Adults have always monitored kids for risk. But in today’s digital age, there are so many more ways to watch our kids’ every […]
New Year 2020: We Can Manage This!
December 20, 2019
New Year 2020: We Can Manage This!
Tune in wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Shrinking It Down.” Did you know? According to a recent Clay Center survey, six out of 10 parents encourage their kids to adopt New Year’s resolutions. To bring in the new year (and decade!), we’re dedicating our last show of 2019 to strategies on guiding […]
Making Family Dinner Possible, featuring Anne Fishel, PhD – Shrinking It Down
December 4, 2019
Making Family Dinner Possible, featuring Anne Fishel, PhD – Shrinking It Down
Tune in wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Shrinking It Down.” There are many emotional benefits that come from connecting over a family dinner. But with the competing demands of reality, like busy schedules, technology, and picky eaters, this simple idea isn’t always so simple. On today’s episode, Dr. Anne Fishel, executive director […]
Is This Normal? – Shrinking It Down
November 20, 2019
Is This Normal? – Shrinking It Down
Tune in wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Shrinking It Down.” One of the most common questions Dr. Gene Beresin and Dr. Steve Schlozman hear from parents, as adolescent psychiatrists, is: “How can I tell if my kid is struggling with a mental health issue?” All kids go through behavioral phases and changes […]
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