Ways to Help Your Lonely Teen
About the Guide
Read Dr. Beresin’s interview in The Boston Globe.
Did you know that GenZ is twice as likely to be lonely than older adults? Or that nearly 2 in 5 students don’t feel close to people at their school? Loneliness can have a devastating impact on our physical and mental health.
Our new guide, Ways to Help Your Lonely Teen, is a direct response to the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 Advisory on loneliness, to help parents learn when to worry and what to do to combat loneliness in our kids and teens, and to foster well-being and prevent more serious mental health problems down the road.
Whether you need strategies to support an adolescent who is struggling, or want to help a younger child create healthy relationships early on, this guide is for you. Dr. Beresin elaborates on each of the Surgeon General’s 7 recommendations for parents, and provides actionable, practical advice to help families embrace them as part of everyday life.
Humans are pack animals – we need relationships. Let Dr. Beresin be your guide in nurturing these relationships for your young person.
View ExcerptAbout Dr. Beresin
Gene with one of his nine grandchildren – all of whom have been invaluable in helping him to combat loneliness
Gene Beresin, MD, MA, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and clinical educator with more than 40 years of experience working with youth, has focused his career on prevention, early intervention, and treatment of teens and young adults. Dr. Beresin is often called upon by news media to weigh in on societal issues relevant to this vulnerable population, and has published numerous papers and chapters on a variety of topics, including mental health and media, eating disorders, personality disorders, and child and adolescent psychiatric treatments. Among his publications, Dr. Beresin is a regular contributing author to Psychology Today, and in 2022 released authored the book Music (Arts for Health) on the healing power of music as a fundamental aspect of individual identity and personal well-being.
Dr. Beresin is well-versed in speaking with the media and has contributed to many reputable news outlets including The New York Times, BBC News, Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and NPR. He has consulted to a variety of television shows including ER and Law & Order: SVU. He was Consultant to the Emmy Award winning HBO children’s specials Goodnight Moon and Other Sleepytime Tales (2000), Through a Child’s Eyes: September 11, 2001 (2003), and Classical Baby (2005). His Clay Center short films Looking for Luke and Bipolar Disorder and the Arts: Mark Vonnegut’s Story have been official selections of several national film festivals, including the 2023 NYC Mental Health Film Festival.
Dr. Beresin is executive director for the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a full Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and the Director of Education for the Division of Professional and Public Education in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Want to bring Dr. Beresin to your school, library, or community center? We're now booking for Fall 2024.
E-mail UsPraise For ‘Ways To Help Your Lonely Teen’
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Isolation and loneliness feed on each other and make everything worse, including life itself. The younger you are, the deeper the hurt… We are surrounded by ways to be alone. Dr. Beresin gives us practical steps and advice about how we and our children can stay connected and thrive.”
– MARK VONNEGUT, MD
Pediatrician, Author of The Eden Express and The Heart of Caring: A Life in Pediatrics
Pediatrician, Author of The Eden Express and The Heart of Caring: A Life in Pediatrics
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…In clear and accessible language, Dr. Beresin helps us to understand the escalating crisis of loneliness among our youth, and the associated negative mental health impacts. Most importantly, he provides concrete, practical and evidence-based strategies for preventing and combatting loneliness among children, teens, and young adults. This book is a call to action and arms us with tools with which to respond.”
– ANNIE BREWSTER, MD
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Founder and Executive Director, Health Story Collaborative
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Founder and Executive Director, Health Story Collaborative
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This is the book for all those concerned for our lonely young people… Inspired by hope and the belief in actions not just words, it packs a punch. After reading it, you will know how to make a difference, how to notice and tackle loneliness as early as possible.”
– PROFESSOR PAUL CRAWFORD
Director, Centre for Social Futures, Institute of Mental Health, United Kingdom, Project Lead, What’s Up With Everyone Mental Health Campaign
Director, Centre for Social Futures, Institute of Mental Health, United Kingdom, Project Lead, What’s Up With Everyone Mental Health Campaign
Hear from Gene
Dr. Beresin In The Media