CARE

As we turned the corner from winter to spring, a new urgency of summer planning for kids likely found its way into more than a few family conversations. Although options are galore, those that offer fun, experiential learning may prove optimal. Summer camps provide those very opportunities in “safe” spaces without fear of ridicule and filled with…

The parents of “John” waited to speak with me after my recent presentation at a private, independent school in New England. They appeared anxious, even scared, sharing their son’s response to admonishment over his alcohol use: “Everyone … really, everyone, does it!” But in high school, as in life, things are not always what they appear…

As the saying goes, it’s easy to be a “Monday morning quarterback.” Thus, I begin this piece with a shout out to Netflix and the producers of “13 Reasons Why,” a series that tackles the epidemic and tragedy that is youth suicide. If nothing else, it has sparked a spirited national conversation that is, frankly,…

It seems counterintuitive: Sadness in the spring as flowers bloom and temperatures rise. Yet, paradoxically, the time of year many yearn for can come attached to some serious psychopathology. For years, conjecture about this conundrum centered around raised and then dashed expectations. I mean, after all, what could be better than the return of sun and sand?…

New York Times columnist David Brooks, in his April 18th piece “How to Leave a Mark on People,” points to employment at  a Connecticut summer camp (Incarnation) as an analog for what University of Virginia researchers James Davidson Hunter and Ryan Olson refer to as “thick” (vs. “thin”) moral frameworks or cultures (IASC, 2017). What’s the difference? According…