New Publications
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…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreWhat 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…
Read MoreMayday!
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…
Read MoreThe Art and Science of Family Dinner – A way to improve the physical and mental health of children and teens.
By Stephen Gray Wallace, featured in Psychology Today. The news about declining COVID-19 rates around the country may foreshadow a return to more “normal” rhythms and patterns of behavior. Among the casualties of online learning and socializing may have been traditional family dinners. An October 2021 article, “More Parents Are Rejecting Nightly Family Dinners – And Experts…
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