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...
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...
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...
Cell Phones and Missed Opportunities
Recently I wrote a post on screen time and how it impacts our kids. Recommendations are that our kids should not be on screens more than 1 ½ to 2 hours per day. With the impact of video games and social media it is difficult to maintain this limitation. However,...
How Can We Prevent the Onslaught of Mass Shootings?
I am sure you are as concerned and shocked as I am when we hear these mass shooting stories that are becoming so prevalent at stores, in schools, in churches, in universities, in city neighborhoods and recently at the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, Texas. So many citizens find...
How to Help Students Who are Falling Through the Cracks
Lakeside supports students who struggle to stay in our public school systems. We have 4 schools and a large in-school-district counseling program serving 51 school districts. We strive to help students continue their growth and development academically, clinically and emotionally. One of the hard realities is that school can be...
A Tragic Story of Gun Violence By a 6-Year-Old
As I was watching the news several nights ago, I saw the story of a toddler walking on a deck with his dad’s firearm. This child was treating the gun as a toy. I think most who saw it were as appalled as I was. We may think that it...
Where are We in the Fight Against Drug Overdose?
With so many issues like COVID and the mental health crisis flooding our media we can easily find that we have ignored other significant issues like the prevalence of drug overdoses. Many of these overdoses are in our youth community. Statistics like this are not just numbers. They are tragedies,...