Catch-Up on Kids Mental Health

In this month’s episode, Janet Morrison talks with Dr. Maiysha Clairborne, an Atlanta-based physician, trainer, and consultant. 

Specializing in integrating alternative and traditional medicine, Dr. Clairborne trains individuals in organizations to learn how to communicate effectively and fulfill personal goals while meeting organizational outcomes. She is the author of the Wellness Blueprint, co-author of Conscious Anti-racism, and host of the Black Mind Garden podcast.

During their conversation, Janet and Dr. Clairborne discuss family conflicts and the dynamics of the different relationships that are involved. They also explore the impact of trauma on communication, self-care, and understanding boundaries in conflict resolution. 

In this month’s episode, Janet interviews Dr. Giovanni Foti, a seasoned clinical and forensic psychologist to discuss conduct disorder in children and teens.

Specializing in children, teens, and families, Dr. Foti has worked with various clinical and forensic settings that have included outpatient, secure treatment, youth justice, and private practices.

Janet and Dr. Foti discuss the criteria and possible risk factors that may lead to a conduct disorder diagnosis. Dr. Foti also highlights that conduct disorders are behavior-based and how early intervention with well-targeted treatments and family support lead to better outcomes. 

In episode 40, Janet delves into the effect of social media on the mental well-being of young people with returning guest, Dr. Daniel Zdzieborski. A Clinical Psychologist with experience in hospitals, schools, community and private practice settings, Dr. Zdzieborski specializes in treating children and adolescents with mental health and neurodevelopmental concerns.

Together, Janet and Dr. Zdzieborski examine how children’s engagement with social media platforms can nurture connections and foster independence, yet at the same time create a deceptive sense of community. This dual dynamic can potentially give rise to mental health challenges, such as feelings of isolation and alienation.

They also explore how the increased use of social media interferes with sleep patterns, triggers social comparisons, and contributes to the formation of unrealistic expectations about life. This is especially prevalent in children and adolescents. Dr. Zdzieborski shares how our societies have developed so fast that we have not been able to adapt on an evolutionary level.

In episode 39, Janet talks to Dr. Jessica Gomez, a licensed psychologist and executive director of Momentous Institute, a leading youth mental health research and services organization located in Dallas, Texas.

Under Dr. Gomez’s leadership, Momentous Institute has pioneered breakthrough programs that are proving successful in strengthening the mental health and well-being of children and families. Her work at Momentous Institute highlights how early intervention can help young people better understand and manage their emotions and relationships.

Throughout this episode, Janet and Dr. Gomez discuss the importance of teaching social emotional intelligence to children and youth and the benefits of building those skills early on. They explore what social and emotional health is and its impact on relationships, academic performance and a child’s behaviour at school and home. 

In this month’s episode, Janet speaks with Dr. Debra Stein, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Garry Hurvitz Sickkids Centre for Community Mental Health. With over 20 years of experience, she specializes in supporting newcomer children, youth, and families, addressing resettlement and acculturation concerns. 

As an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, Dr. Stein lectures on refugee mental health to diverse audiences. She also serves as a Subject Matter Expert for CAMH's Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project.

In this month's episode, Janet welcomes Eva Marszewski, a lawyer and the Founder of Peacebuilders International. Peacebuilders is an organization dedicated to using restorative practices to keep young people away from the criminal justice system and guide them toward a brighter future and Eva’s work through them has earned her the Order of Ontario and the Law Society Medal.

During this episode, Janet and Eva explore the trauma associated with young people going through the court process. They discuss the challenges faced by these youths, especially those that are particularly vulnerable, and the ways Peacebuilders can offer support. Eva also shares the organization’s plans for the future to support young people in the courts.

In this month’s episode, Janet engages in a conversation with Dr. Carmen Logie, a faculty member at the Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto and the Canada Research Chair in Global Health Equity and Social Justice with Marginalized Populations.

Carmen's ongoing research centers on HIV testing and treatment across Canada, Uganda, and Jamaica, with a particular focus on how stigma contributes to substandard care and outcomes among marginalized groups. These groups encompass refugee and displaced youth, LGBTQ communities, Indigenous youth, and sex workers.

Throughout the episode, Janet and Carmen delve into the daily stressors experienced by LGBTQ individuals and their profound impact on the mental well-being of young people, often manifesting as self-hatred and internalized stigma. Carmen underscores the significance of supportive communities and encourages young people to seek connections and positive self-identification as essential sources of help.

In this month’s episode, Janet welcomes Dr. Dan Zdzieborski to the podcast to discuss how exercise supports better mental health in children and adolescents. Dr. Zdzieborski is a Clinical Psychologist who assesses and treats children and adolescents with mental health and neurodevelopmental concerns. 

Janet and Dr. Zdzieborski discuss how exercise has a positive impact on anxiety, depression and cognitive and academic functions, as well as how physical activity affects different parts of the brain. They also explore the impact of COVID-19 and how increasingly sedentary lifestyles affect children and adolescents and the role adults can play in creating more opportunities for physical movement and exercise.

In this month’s episode, Janet speaks with Dr. Clare Pain who is a psychiatrist at Mt. Sinai Hospital and a professor at the University of Toronto. Dr. Pain assesses and provides treatment for patients who suffer from the effects of psychological trauma and she has published several articles and three books on this subject.

Janet and Dr. Pain explore the term trauma including common symptoms of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and how sufferers can resolve and heal from the past. They also highlight the important role therapy plays, how hard it can be to seek treatment, and the importance of parenting in teaching children to be compassionate towards oneself resulting in a better chance of overcoming and healing from traumatic experiences.

In this month’s episode, Janet explores the topic of attachment theory and why it's so important in early childhood development and throughout the lifespan of a child.

Janet explains what attachment theory is and why it's so important in understanding the parent-child relationship. She explores how children need caring adults, and how powerfully these figures, or lack of them, can affect a child’s confidence, self-esteem, and quality of relationships.   

In this month's episode, Janet talks with Snjezana Pruginic from Circle Point Wellness, an organization working at the intersection of wellness and social justice.

Snjezana has worked with child soldiers in Colombia to support their ongoing process of reintegration into civil society, and in the justice system in Canada, helping youth to feel more empowered and self-regulated. She has also assisted teachers, parents, and youth justice professionals to better understand traumatized youths’ vulnerability and dysregulation.

During their conversation, Janet and Snjezana focus on the importance of being trauma-informed and how this can benefit teachers in better accommodating their students. They also highlight the significance of teaching children and youth about bodily awareness and emotional regulation so that they can advocate for themselves effectively. 

In this month’s episode, Janet explores the topic of neurodiversity in children with Dr. Barbara Muskat, a clinical social worker and professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto.

Dr. Muskat has worked in a variety of settings in her 40 years as a social worker including 20 years at Integra, an agency that specializes in addressing the psychosocial needs of children with learning disabilities and being past director of Social Work at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Janet and Dr. Muskat discuss how the perception of neurodiversity has changed over time, the challenges neurodivergent people face, and how parents and teachers can best support these children.

If you are interested in learning more about this topic, here are some helpful links:

In this month’s episode, Janet speaks about the relationship children have with their bodies, and other people’s bodies, to help parents and caregivers better understand what’s normal behavior and what’s not.

Janet talks about how infants and children are infinitely curious about their bodies, how children explore their bodies and compare them to parents, siblings and peers. She also points out how important it is to not shame children for their natural curiosity but to ensure their behaviour is spontaneous and doesn’t involve any threat or coersion.

She also highlights what is considered normal sexual behaviour in children and what situations might be cause for concern, as well as what to do if you see any signs of abuse. 

In this month’s episode, Janet speaks with Dr. Barbara Fidler, a clinical developmental psychologist, who has been practicing for over 35 years and has an independent practice in Toronto.

A large part of her practice is working with parents and children in separation/divorce. She provides a range of services including therapy with couples and families, consultations, family mediation and parenting coordination. Also, she is an author and provides training to mental health professionals, lawyers and the judiciary.

Janet and Barbara discuss the complexities of involving children in mediation, helping parents develop a parenting plan and the impact of divorce on the parents and children.

Here are some resources that Barbara recommends:

In this month’s episode, Janet speaks with Blake Pearson M.D. who is a practicing family physician and internationally recognized leader in the field of cannabinoid-based medicine.

Dr. Pearson has educated over 1000 fellow practitioners around the world and has focused his Southwestern Ontario-based practice on cannabinoid medicine, treating patients from across Canada with a range of complex conditions.

Janet and Dr. Pearson discuss how he came to start treating children, how the legalization of cannabis has both helped and complicated its use in a medical context, and what his hopes are for the future of cannabinoid-based medicine.

In this month’s episode, Janet speaks with Michael Blugerman, social worker, psychotherapist and the director of Children's Resource and Consultation Centre of Ontario, a licensed adoption agency since 1980.

Janet and Michael discuss how international adoptions have changed since the 80s, extended kinship programs that are now in place to prioritize homing children with family members, the importance of a child's adoption story and the challenges experienced by inter-racial adopted families.

In this month’s episode, Janet speaks with Jose Acosta the principal of Burrows Hall Junior Public School in Toronto about some of the ways he approaches mental health at his school and the types of challenges his students experience.

Janet and Jose discuss his role as the principal, how he approaches mental health challenges in the classroom, the various ways they support their students (including the Catch program), and the huge impact COVID has had on everyone.

In this month’s episode, Janet talks to Jeffrey Schiffer, the Executive Director of Native Child and Family Services of Toronto. This organization strives to provide a life of quality, well-being, caring, and healing for children and families in the Toronto Native Community.

Janet and Jeffrey talk about how Native Child and Family Services of Toronto was founded, the services they provide, the differences between them and other agencies, and the importance of keeping Native children near their cultural and community ties.

In this month’s episode, Janet talks to Paul Rogers the President of Ontario Track 3 Adaptive Sports Association, a charitable organization that provides skiing opportunities for children and teens with physical and developmental disabilities.

In this month’s episode, Janet is talking about what mentalization is and why It matters to children's mental health and development.

Janet covers the concept of mentalization, its importance to children and adults, and why it is essential for the development of friendship, intimacy, social intelligence, and mental health.

In this month’s episode, Janet talks with Ane Lemche, a psychologist and child counselor with Save the Children about how to talk to kids about war and the conflict in Ukraine.

Save the Children is a child rights organization that works around the world – every day and in times of crisis – to ensure children grow up healthy, educated, and safe.

During the episode, Janet and Ane discuss how you can provide support and reassurance to your child when approaching the discussion of war, including how refugees are treated in neighboring countries and factors like the importance of community and friendships to children and families fleeing war.

In this month's episode, Janet talks to Sandy Poulson about our work in schools and how our collaborative psychotherapy model helps to bring parents, teachers, and children together.

Sandy Poulson is a registered psychotherapist specializing in work with children and teens. She has worked with at-risk elementary school children in the Toronto District School Board and is currently in private practice at Leaside Therapy Centre in midtown Toronto.

Janet and Sandy discuss the reasons why a child might need therapy at school, the changes that can be seen in the child as a result of this process, and the importance of establishing a supportive relationship between therapist, teacher, and parent.

In this episode, Janet talks about the relationship between poverty, mental illness and physical illness during Covid-19.

Janet shares how the pandemic has played a large role in exposing the inequalities and the effects of factors like -- no child care, job losses, inadequate housing, access to quality food and those with chronic or serious health conditions -- have on mental health.

In this episode, Janet talks to Christina Connell about how to identify and talk about depression in children and adolescents.

Christina is a registered psychotherapist in Toronto who treats children, adolescents and adults. She’s a graduate and faculty member of the Canadian Institute of Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, a graduate of the Institute for the Advancement of Self Psychology, and a faculty member of the Toronto Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis.

Janet and Christina discuss depression and the need for intentional noticing from parents so they can identify changes in behaviour and mood. They also explore how parents can help to normalise a full range of emotions by giving children a vocabulary to express their feelings and a safe place to share what they are experiencing.

This month's topic looks at how childhood cancer affects the mental health of children and their families. Janet is joined by Tina Hamalainen. Tina is a POGO Interlink nurse with the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO)

Tina’s role as an Interlink nurse is a unique provincial role within Ontario. POGO as an organisation advocates for the needs of pediatric oncology patients and their families. The program that Tina works for is Interlink. There are 10 nurses in the program and they all work in the hospitals with the children. The nurses provide support at the hospital, home, school and in the community - a bridge between home and hospital.

Janet and Tina discuss the stresses and difficulties children and their families face, the emotions they go through, maintaining relationships especially at school and helping the children plan for their future.

One of the goals of POGO is to have integrated psycho-social care at all stages of a cancer journey. Part of this is creating a more standardised assessment of their needs so they can monitor from day one and have regular assessments of the patient's family and beyond treatment.

In this episode, we explore the anxiety disorder known as selective mutism and why some children can’t find their voice. 

Janet discusses common personality traits, co-occurring conditions and common misdiagnoses of selective mutism. 

She also shares some ways that parents and teachers can help children who are struggling with this rare disorder.

This month our host Janet Morrison talks about anorexia and bulimia in teens and young women. These are serious eating disorders that can quickly get out of control and become both a physical and mental health problem.

During the episode, Janet talks about the core features, causes, and how to recognise the signs of an eating disorder. She reminds us that we need to teach young girls that differences in our bodies should be celebrated. Our bodies are not there for aesthetic reasons but rather for pleasure and purpose.

This month our host Janet Morrison is joined by Dr Faye Mishna, Professor and former Dean of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. Faye’s research focuses on bullying, cyberbullying and technology used amongst youth.