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.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 – Shrinking It Down
December 4, 2019
Making Family Dinner Possible – 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 […]
The Loneliest Generation: What’s Up With Gen Z? – Shrinking It Down
November 6, 2019
The Loneliest Generation: What’s Up With Gen Z? – Shrinking It Down
Tune in wherever you get your podcasts – just search for “Shrinking It Down”! Data suggest that Generation Z, the teens and young adults coming of age right now, feels lonelier than any other age group. But we don’t know why. Is it a symptom of digital and social media or the hyper-scheduling of […]
Stay In Shape: Kids’ Bodies Feed Their Minds – Shrinking It Down
October 23, 2019
Stay In Shape: Kids’ Bodies Feed Their Minds – Shrinking It Down
How can we guide children to healthfully navigate food, fitness, sleep, and more (especially when Takis® taste so much better than eggs for breakfast)? These aren’t just important for physical health but mental health, as well. The MGH Stay In Shape Program for elementary and middle school students, going on 20 years strong, is one solution that’s benefited several communities in Massachusetts. In today’s episode, special guest Ming Sun, MCHES, of MGH Community Health Associates, joins host Steve Schlozman, MD to share more about Stay In Shape – including strategies to help kids set […]
Money + Mental Health: Supporting Young Adult Children, With Limits – Shrinking It Down
October 9, 2019
Money + Mental Health: Supporting Young Adult Children, With Limits – Shrinking It Down
If you’re a parent, you’ve likely spent time thinking about your child’s future after age 18. Whether it’s going to college, finding a job, finding an apartment – taking that first step towards independence is ultimately tied to…money! Where that money should come from is a complicated issue, and it’s not the same issue […]
When Kids Talk of Suicide – Shrinking It Down
September 25, 2019
When Kids Talk of Suicide – Shrinking It Down
Tune in wherever you get your podcasts – just search for “Shrinking It Down.” As the summer fades and we move into Autumn, activities in our lives start to build up and so can the stress. Perhaps this is one reason that September is national Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. It’s an unsettling topic, but in […]
Summer Challenge: Come Together for Mental Health – Shrinking It Down
June 5, 2019
Summer Challenge: Come Together for Mental Health – Shrinking It Down
Tune in wherever you get your podcasts – just search for “Shrinking It Down.” We shouldn’t need science to tell us that getting together with other people is beneficial. Still, the science is pretty fascinating, and in the data-driven age in which we live, knowledge is power! In this episode, Steve and Gene dig into […]
Newsletter
Subscribe Today
Your monthly dose of the latest mental health tips and advice from the expert team at The Clay Center.
Multimedia
Quick Jumps
News & Events
Grade School
Teenagers
Young Adults
FamiliesTag Cloud
-
addiction
ADHD
adolescents
anorexia
anxiety
ASD
autism
behavior
bullying
child development
children
college
communication
depression
digital media
dyslexia
eating disorder
evaluation
family
fear
healthy development
holidays
learning
learning disabilities
learning disability
media
mental health
mental illness
parenting
parents
Podcast
PTSD
relationships
resilience
school
social media
stigma
stress
suicide
technology
teenagers
teens
trauma
treatment
violence
