News & Insights
Empowering Parents: Strategies and Support for Managing ADHD with Dr. Lisa Pion Berlin
In this episode of the ADHD Goals podcast, host Laurence talks with Dr. Lisa Pion Berlin, a clinical hypnotherapist, social worker, and CEO of Parents Anonymous. Dr. Lisa discusses her work advocating for parents, children, and youth facing mental health challenges, emphasising the importance of shared leadership and community support. The conversation covers the barriers parents face in getting appropriate ADHD support for their children and the need for effective partnerships between schools and families. Dr. Lisa also shares insights on the role of hypnotherapy in managing ADHD and offers practical advice for parents dealing with multi-generational ADHD diagnoses.
What is causing the current mental health crisis in young adults?
Over the past few years, there’s been abundant reporting on the declining state of mental health. A study mentioned in a story in Medscape showed that the steepest decline in mental health was in young adults.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the suicide rate for U.S. children ages 10 to 14 was three times as high in 2021 as it was in 2007. Add to that the host of recent studies worldwide showing that teenagers who frequently use social media have an increased risk of negative mental health outcomes.
However, much of this reporting has focused on the increased mental health issues among young people. What’s often overlooked is that parents are also struggling with these issues, even as they work to help their children. To fully grasp the depth of the mental health problem, you only have to look at the data.
Shock Over Why Teenager Stopped Calling Dad’s Partner ‘Mom’
A teenager’s decision to stop calling his stepmother “mom” has been applauded by viewers online, despite it irking his father.
The 17-year-old, who goes by u/tall-lengthiness-330 on Reddit, took to the platform on October 2 to share that he had defiantly stood up against his father’s wishes to call his new partner his mom, which led to a falling out in their family home. Viewers online rallied around the teenager, with most offering support and backing his decision.
“My parents divorced when I was a baby and my dad remarried when I was 5,” the man wrote in his post. “When I was 7, I started to call my stepmom ‘mom’ [for] a little and that’s what felt natural to me. After I had said it several times my dad gave my [biological] mom a heads up about it.”
Advocate: How parents can discuss school shootings with their kids
With the latest school shooting at Apalachee High School outside Atlanta, parents may be wondering how to discuss the tragedy in the context of returning to school this fall and keeping their children safe.
Lisa Pion-Berlin, CEO of Parents Anonymous, which supports parents and their children with resources and expert help, says that guardians need to confront their own feelings first and then listen to their children before making decisions and potentially becoming an advocate for school safety.
Pion-Berlin told Chalkboard News in an interview that parents need to process their emotions and make decisions about safety and risk before discussing complex and sensitive topics with their children.
‘Talking to your children about mental health doesn’t necessarily mean talking about mental illness’
On Aug. 6, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data showing a lower percentage of students experiencing persistent sadness or hopelessness, from 42% to 40%. Female students reported a decrease in persistent sadness (57% to 53%) and serious consideration of suicide (from 30% to 27%).Talking to your children about mental health doesn’t necessarily mean talking about mental illness
Lisa Pion-Berlin, licensed hypnotherapist and CEO of the nonprofit Parents Anonymous, said the new data highlights what we’re doing right: talking about mental health in an open and accepting manner.
“Research tells us that by addressing, not brushing off, supportive conversation about serious mental health issues is a game changer,” Pion-Berlin said. “Removing the stigma about mental health is key to opening up honest conversations with students amongst themselves, parents and other adults in their life. Seeing hope replace hopelessness if the beginning steps of healing. Focusing on acceptance rather than just awareness puts all of us into a position of loving and supportive friendships and leads people to seek help when they don’t feel judged and blamed.”
Massive blazes give rise to increased issues with ‘fire brain’
Mental-health experts are sounding the alarm about “fire brain” – a condition caused by exposure to toxic wildfire smoke. One study found that wildfire smoke can cause brain inflammation that lasts for a month.
Suzie Dukes, Chico LMFT and survivor of the Paradise Fire, said the massive Park Fire is now re-traumatizing a community already devastated by the Camp fire, which incinerated the nearby town of Paradise in 2018.
“People are in kind of a constant state of stress afterward, the feeling of being out of control, unable to prevent anything, and this deep-seated fear of losing yet again, more things. The Park Fire is triggering PTSD symptoms all over again,” she explained.
Frontline Insights: Dr. Lisa Pion-Berlin of Parents Anonymous® Inc. on Business Strategies
Since 1992, Dr. Lisa is the President and CEO of Parents Anonymous® Inc. one of the oldest family strengthening organizations dedicated to ensuring a just society where everyone thrives in resilient families and communities. She is passionate about advocacy and supporting the empowerment journey of Parents, Caregivers and Children & Youth all around the world. She oversees the ONLY California Parent & Youth Helpline and National Parent & Youth Helpline® to provide emotional support through calls, chats and texting. She created National Parent Leadership Month® to celebrate Parents worldwide and the National Certification of Parent Leaders that is competency based and has measurable results.
CA group fights stigma for Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about the challenges ethnic and racial minorities face when it comes to mental health care.
The Food and Drug Administration says barriers include a lack of health insurance and less access to treatment.
Lisa Pion-Berlin, president and CEO of Parents Anonymous, which runs both the California and National Parent and Youth Helplines, said society must fight to eliminate the stigma around mental health.
National Parent & Youth Helpline™ Makes Profound Impact Since Expanding to 24/7 Support
Parents Anonymous, Inc.®, the national non-profit organization dedicated to supporting parents and youth, has taken a significant step forward in addressing the mental health crisis affecting families across the United States. With a generous $10 million grant from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Parents Anonymous® expanded its services earlier this year, in January, transforming the National Parent Helpline® into the National Parent & Youth Helpline™. This essential resource now offers round-the-clock emotional support via calls, texts and chats to parents, caregivers and youth up to 25 years old.
Boomer Mom Shocks Daughter With 1970s Parenting Detail- ‘I’m Dying’
Dr. Lisa Pion-Berlin, a parenting expert, previously told Newsweek that parents should make their children aware of gun crime by the time they are 10 years old.
While the video shared to @justagirl7688 hasn’t gone viral, it has resonated with other users. One commenter simply wrote: “yep!” insinuating this is how he remembers his childhood.