The Memorial Day holiday is a wonderful time to be with family and enjoy family traditions. The holiday is purposed to remember those who have lost their lives in service to our country. I think it is appropriate to read the declaration recently written by our President as a prayer...
Surgeon General Warning About Social Media
I have been writing about the significant level of crisis in the mental health of our children and teenagers. Lakeside serves over 5,500 students per year. It's clear to our current staff that this crisis is real. Our regional school districts are requesting more help than ever before with students...
How to Manage Stress Responses
Most of us grew up in our education learning about the "fight or flight” response to fearful situations. It is that protective brain function that warns us of high threat and sometimes gives us unique abilities to escape or deal with those threats in rather remarkable ways. As neurological science...
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
This is the month where we raise awareness about mental health issues in our country. Our own research teaches us that one in five Americans experience mental health issues each year. Those conditions include: Depression Anxiety Mood disorders, including bipolar disorder Personality disorders Psychotic disorders including schizophrenia Trauma Eating disorders...
Celebrating Moms in 2023
We have just celebrated Mother’s Day. Although it's quite a holiday for the greeting card and restaurant industries, I think it's appropriate to take some valuable time to celebrate who are moms are to us. It's an all-encompassing job. I thought about all the roles our moms, grandmoms, and mom-like...
Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescents
As I have written in the past, we acknowledge that social media has had an increasing impact on our teenagers. It is used for connection, advertising, even for self-image and also bullying. The American Psychological Association has just published on their website the downloadable results of some of the most...
Non-Profit Leadership: A Community Voice
For those of you who read may blog through the year, you know that I am involved in several non-profits, one of which is a non-profit for veterans that sponsors an event to honor veterans every 4th of July weekend. It happens within a community on Lake Gaston in Virginia....
Another Mass Shooting – This Time in Atlanta
Once again, we are stunned by another mass shooting in Atlanta, Georgia. One person lost their life, and 4 others are hospitalized. Our prayers go out to these individuals and their families. Also, it is yet another awakening to the mass shooting crisis we are having in our country that...
Should Exposure to Gun Violence be Classified as an ACE Score?
Over 3 million children are exposed to some form of gun violence each year in America. This means they have seen guns that have been discharged, or they’ve seen people wounded and may even have seen individuals close to them killed. When we think of the post-traumatic stress, the fear,...
What is Childhood’s Greatest Danger?
I recently read a New York Times article about the greatest danger to our children in America. As we consider the safety and care for our children it is alarming to know what the greatest threat to their lives is. Not of any surprise is the reality of kids being...