The Long Arc of Misery

By Stephen Gray Wallace. Why resiliency is key for kids during, and after, the pandemic These days, it seems that every time we are about to turn a corner on COVID-19, we somehow miss the intersection. Such is the long, slow, agonizing slog that is the pandemic. By now, most people are familiar with the…

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New Report Finds Positive Trends in Youth Substance Use – Young people are using drugs less often, but mental health remains a concern.

By Stephen Gray Wallace, featured in Psychology Today Since 1986, educators and public health proponents have used social norming theory to reduce youth risk behaviors. This theory holds that the behavior of young people is heavily influenced by their perception of what the norm is among their peers with regard to behaviors such as underage drinking…

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The Crisis of Youth Mental Health – The thoughts won’t stop, help me.

By Stephen Gray Wallace, featured in Psychology Today. In those six words, scribbled in his notebook next to disturbing drawings of guns and blood, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley warned those in his world that he was not OK. Hours later, despite opportunities for intervention, Crumbley shot up his school, killing four and wounding seven more. While…

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What Aaron Rodgers Got Wrong – Failing the role model requirements.

By Stephen Gray Wallace, featured in Psychology Today. There was nothing pretty about the public spectacle Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers created by lying about his vaccination status. His hubris placed his team at a competitive disadvantage and his teammates (and competitors) at increased risk of contracting COVID-19. Just as bad, he failed on the role model…

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Mayday!

By Stephen Gray Wallace. Just last month, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association declared a national emergency in children’s mental health, reminding us of the “serious toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on top of existing challenges” (AAP, 2021). Placing an urgent call…

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