Conversations with William James College

Research has found that conversations about race lessen the presence of prejudice and bias, but these conversations are much less likely to occur in white families than they are in families of color. Children are keen observers. As they grow, in the absence of conversations with people they trust, children make sense of what they see in the world around them in ways that justify inequities. They also start to internalize stereotypes and prejudices, even if they live in homes where these views are not promoted. As they get older, these internalized observations become hard-to-change implicit biases. In this special addition to the "Advice for Parents" series, Dr. Elana Wolkoff, associate professor of School Psychology at William James College, presents information for white parents and adults on how to talk with, and listen to, children and adolescents about race and discrimination. We have a lot of work to do to counter racism in our society, she says, but it won’t get done if we’re not able to talk about it.

Rosie Turner, who is completing her second year in the School Psychology Program, offers tips for parents about how to talk to teens about social stressors during this unprecedented time.

Sandy Li and Aurore Siano discuss tips for parents on how to manage their own mental health right now, along with their child’s.

Sandy Li and Aurore Siano, who are both completing their final year in the School Psychology program, discuss strategies for managing children's behavior at home.

Rose Perez, a second-year graduate student in the School Psychology program, discusses how involving kids in chores can provide benefits to both the parent and the child.

Alyssa Repetto, a second-year graduate student in the School Psychology program, offers suggestions for activities that are educational and memorable, and give children and parents time away from their electronic devices.

Connor Fallon, second year Master’s and Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (MA/CAGS) student discusses the benefits of making time to read with your child. Reading is a foundational activity for many academic skills, it also helps to create deeper parent/child bonds.

Carolyn Kaye, a rising third-year School Psychology student at William James College, addresses how to talk with children about the abrupt end to the school year, and offers age and response-appropriate tips about how to help your child find closure.

Between juggling work responsibilities, relationships, and home-life needs, and the pressures created by the COVID19 pandemic, parents are managing a lot right now. School Psychologists generally work in schools to support children’s mental health, behavior, and their ability to benefit from instruction; they also work with parents to support children's needs. Under the guidance of Dr. Elana Wolkoff, associate professor of School Psychology, students in the William James College School Psychology program created this collection of brief lessons to help parents in the context of current pressures, and to increase positive interactions at home while school is out.

Learn how to calm anxiety quickly, this clip discusses guided imagery. This series is hosted by Dr. Julie L. Ryan, associate professor of Clinical Psychology and director of the Children and Families of Adversity and Resilience Concentration, and Dr. Nadja Reilly, clinical psychologist and associate director of the Freedman Center for Child and Family Development.

Learn how to calm anxiety quickly, this clip discusses using progressive muscle relaxation. This series is hosted by Dr. Julie L. Ryan, associate professor of Clinical Psychology and director of the Children and Families of Adversity and Resilience Concentration, and Dr. Nadja Reilly, clinical psychologist and associate director of the Freedman Center for Child and Family Development.

Learn how to calm anxiety quickly, this clip discusses using a technique called paced breathing. This series is hosted by Dr. Julie L. Ryan, associate professor of Clinical Psychology and director of the Children and Families of Adversity and Resilience Concentration, and Dr. Nadja Reilly, clinical psychologist and associate director of the Freedman Center for Child and Family Development.

Learn how to calm anxiety quickly, this clip discusses using intense exercise as a technique. This series is hosted by Dr. Julie L. Ryan, associate professor of Clinical Psychology and director of the Children and Families of Adversity and Resilience Concentration, and Dr. Nadja Reilly, clinical psychologist and associate director of the Freedman Center for Child and Family Development.

Learn how to calm anxiety quickly, this clip discusses using temperature change. This series is hosted by Dr. Julie L. Ryan, associate professor of Clinical Psychology and director of the Children and Families of Adversity and Resilience Concentration, and Dr. Nadja Reilly, clinical psychologist and associate director of the Freedman Center for Child and Family Development.

Learn how to calm anxiety quickly with the tips off in the next several clips. This series is hosted by Dr. Julie L. Ryan, associate professor of Clinical Psychology and director of the Children and Families of Adversity and Resilience Concentration, and Dr. Nadja Reilly, clinical psychologist and associate director of the Freedman Center for Child and Family Development.

Focusing on the present can help a person manage anxious feelings. This clip offers advice on how to stay in the present. This series is hosted by Dr. Julie L. Ryan, associate professor of Clinical Psychology and director of the Children and Families of Adversity and Resilience Concentration, and Dr. Nadja Reilly, clinical psychologist and associate director of the Freedman Center for Child and Family Development.

Curiosity can be a powerful tool. This clip discusses "attunement," a process of tuning into a child's feelings and reflecting them back so the child feels seen, heard and understood. This can help parents to better establish routines and offer developmentally appropriate support for a child. This series is hosted by Dr. Julie L. Ryan, associate professor of Clinical Psychology and director of the Children and Families of Adversity and Resilience Concentration, and Dr. Nadja Reilly, clinical psychologist and associate director of the Freedman Center for Child and Family Development.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has created a great deal of stress and anxiety for caregivers. This special series offers tips for managing anxiety during this time of interrupted routines. The series is hosted by Dr. Julie L. Ryan, associate professor of Clinical Psychology and director of the Children and Families of Adversity and Resilience Concentration, and Dr. Nadja Reilly, clinical psychologist and associate director of the Freedman Center for Child and Family Development. Clips can be played in any order but are presented in a suggested order on this playlist: https://soundcloud.com/william-james-college/sets/managing_anxiety

Times of stress and anxiety can understandably leave one feeling overwhelmed. There are several strategies that can be used to regain a feeling of understanding and control. This clip offers tips for parents or caregivers for how to model this for their children. This series is hosted by Dr. Julie L. Ryan, associate professor of Clinical Psychology and director of the Children and Families of Adversity and Resilience Concentration, and Dr. Nadja Reilly, clinical psychologist and associate director of the Freedman Center for Child and Family Development.

In a world marked increasingly by insensitivity and intolerance, faith and spirituality can serve as the motivational energy that animates the pursuit of a more socially just society and propel us toward social action and advocacy. In this episode, William James College President Dr. Nicholas Covino is joined by Dr. Nicholas Rowe, Ph.D., Dean of Student Engagement and Associate Professor of History and Peace Studies at Gordon College, and Rabbi Victor Reinstein, co-founder of Nehar Shalom Community Synagogue in Jamaica Plain with his wife Mieke and a congressional rabbi for over 30 years, for a discussion on spirituality, social justice, and social activism.

Dr. Robert Brooks, a leader in child psychology and parenting, former director of the department of psychology and of psychology training at McLean Hospital, and a member of the faculty at Harvard Medical School, joins Dr. Stan Berman, vice president for academic affairs and associate professor in the department of clinical psychology at William James, for a conversation exploring topics including: resiliency, mindset, Brook's Islands of Competence model, parent-child communication and childhood anxiety. "Conversations with William James College" is a monthly podcast series produced by William James College in Newton, Massachusetts. William James educates professionals to bring psychological theory and skills to businesses and organizations, health care systems, correctional facilities, community mental health centers, schools and consulting rooms. www.williamjames.edu

Society is becoming more globalized than ever, and the field of mental health is struggling to keep up. Minority groups face countless obstacles in accessing mental health services. And when they are able to access these services, they’re often met with a therapist who doesn’t understand their culture – be it language, values, or other intangible aspects of their life experience. William James College President Dr. Nicholas Covino speaks with Dr. Jean Lau Chin, Professor at Adelphi University in New York, about the need for cultural competency in our increasingly global, interconnected world. Dr. Chin served as keynote speaker for a conference held at William James titled, “Integrative and Holistic Approaches to Mental Health Care for Asians.”

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month is celebrated each year in June to honor the history of the LGBTQ community and to recognize the impact LGBTQ individuals have had throughout the world. Although steps have been taken towards establishing equality, research suggests that the discrimination LGBTQ individuals face linked to societal stigma still endured by this community today is associated with various mental health issues such as high rates of psychiatric disorders, substance abuse and suicide. This podcast will explore specifically the stigmas faced by the LGBTQ community within education and the impact of these stigmas on mental health.

In March of 2017 Governor Baker authorized a Special Legislative Commission to study prevention science and evidence based strategies to promote mental wellness and prevent mental illness. For 12 months, this 26-member Commission worked with national and local experts and recently issued its report. In this podcast, Margaret Hannah, Executive Director of the Freedman Center at William James College, who was appointed to the Commission, discusses some of the report’s findings.

Train Vets to Treat Vets Radio Hit by William James College

On Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018, the President of the United States suggested that DACA, which stands for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act, was dead and its death the fault of democrats. This podcast, recorded several weeks before the statement, describes the types of anxiety and fear experienced by these young people and what mental health professionals can do to help them. Joining Dr. Nicholas Covino in this conversation are Dr. Martin La Roche, Director of Psychology Training at Boston Children’s Hospital at the Martha Eliot, the oldest standing community health center in the U.S.; two first-year William James College students in the Clinical PsyD program, Ana Zuniga and Yacihuilca Moni; as well as Dr. Mari Carmen Bennasar, Director of the Lucero Latino Mental Health Program here at William James College.

More than 25 percent of veterans experience post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia when they return from war, and they face significant barriers in accessing high-quality mental health care. During this podcast, I’ll be speaking with John Rodolico, Ph.D., State Surgeon for the Massachusetts National Guard. Dr. Rodolico has an extensive military, academic and clinical mental health expertise, and his unique professional background will drive our discussion on the importance of addressing the growing need for mental health care among veterans.

In the wake of several devastating natural disasters, and during a time when the refugee crisis remains one of the largest in recent history, the topics of community healing and well being are on our minds here at William James College. How can these communities rebuild? How are they coping, and when will their daily lives return to the way they were before these events took place?

Psychologists and other behavioral health professionals have many roles to play in today’s society. Dr. Paul Block, Associate Professor at William James College, who teaches Leadership and Management in the Clinical PsyD program, talks with President Nicholas Covino about his own background and his perspective on the changing impact of the psychology professional on health care, not only in terms of helping individual patients, but also in reshaping the system itself. Listen here.

In Part 2 of our conversation with the Honorable Judge Leslie E. Harris, Dr. Natalie Cort, & student Kwame Dance, one of our Black Mental Health Academy scholars, we discuss the personal journeys of Judge Harris and Kwame and the work that Dr. Cort is doing here at William James to help break down barriers and expand access to care for undeserved populations. We also discuss the Re-Envisioning the Brilliance of Boys of Color: Inspiring Professionals Dedicated to Empowering the Social-Emotional and Academic Development of Our Youth, conference on May 20th, 2017, which will offer opportunities for professionals within these systems to be inspired and encouraged to celebrate the contributions of boys of color. The goal of this conference is to expand our perceptions of boys of color by exploring their varied developmental trajectories and contextual factors that impact those pathways. Please visit our website to register for our conference on Re-Envisioning the Brilliance of Boys of Color: Inspiring Professionals Dedicated to Empowering the Social-Emotional and Academic Development of Our Youth, and to learn about our Black Mental Health Initiative and Graduate Academy. http://www.williamjames.edu/academics/centers-of-excellence/multicultural-and-global-mental-health/black-mental-health-initiative.cfm

Boys of color in the United States are disproportionately subjected to entrenched sociocultural stressors shaped by historical marginalization. Unfortunately, too frequently the brilliance, creativity, and strengths of boys of color have been unrecognized by our educational, justice, and behavioral health care systems. Therefore, on May 20, 2017 William James College will host a conference entitled the Re-Envisioning the Brilliance of Boys of Color: Inspiring Professionals Dedicated to Empowering the Social-Emotional and Academic Development of Our Youth, offering opportunities for professionals within our educational, justice, and behavioral health care systems to be inspired and encouraged to celebrate the contributions of boys of color. We were privileged to have as one of our guests, a keynote speaker for the conference, the Honorable Judge Leslie E. Harris, who is a retired Associate Justice of the Suffolk Juvenile Court as well as Dr. Natalie Cort, Assistant Professor at William James College and Director of our Black Mental Health Initiative & Graduate Academy, and student Kwame Dance, one of our Black Mental Health Academy scholars. For more information about our conference on Re-Envisioning the Brilliance of Boys of Color: Inspiring Professionals Dedicated to Empowering the Social-Emotional and Academic Development of Our Youth visit: http://bit.ly/2nv87WP

As we age, our brains change in ways that may affect our cognitive functioning. In recent years, studies have been released on methods of not only halting, but also reversing memory loss in patients with Alzheimer's disease. During this podcast, Nick speaks with Dr. Aladdin Ossorio, the Founder and coordinator of the SageMind program in the Brenner Center at William James College & Kelly Casey, Executive Director of the Brenner Center, to discuss the interventions and study findings that led to the creation of SageMind, a cutting edge program that uses a Mind-Brain-Body program to create a cognitive baseline in participants and monitors their brain functioning over time.

In this special edition of Conversations, Nick sits down with Arlene Silva, the Chair of our School Psychology Department; Bruce Ecker, director of our Children and Families of Adversity and Resilience concentration and Jacqueline Gagliardi, who directs our Couples and Family Therapy Area of Emphasis, to explore the conversations that many Americans will be having this year during what for most is a cherished holiday celebration—Thanksgiving. Our hope is to help all of us to communicate with each other and our children in a constructive not destructive manner about the recent election, which I think we can all agree sent shockwaves around the world — regardless of who you voted for. As you sit down for Thanksgiving dinner with your family and friends, and before you carve the turkey, we’d like to provide you, our podcast listeners, with some dinnertime conversation tips.

Each year, we celebrate Veteran’s Day by honoring the men and women who have bravely served our country. As we reflect, it’s important to not only acknowledge their visible wounds, but also to consider the invisible battles some veterans still face when they return from service. During this podcast, President Covino speaks with Adam Freed, a 4th Year doctoral student in our Train Vets to Treat Vets program here at William James College, who is currently a First Lieutenant in the Army Reserves, and was an infantry officer in the Army National Guard and deployed as a platoon leader to Afghanistan, to discuss the importance of addressing the growing need for mental health care among veterans.

This month, President Covino chats with Dr. Ronald Lee, Director of the Applied Behavior Analysis Master’s program at William James College and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2004, to discuss the need to increase awareness about ABA in the community, as well as the need to dispel the common myths associated with this evidence-based treatment.

President Covino chats with Dr. Craig Murphy, an associate professor in our PsyD program in School Psychology, to discuss the importance of school-based mental health services and how mental health is critical to children’s success and well-being, both in and out of the classroom.

The Boston Globe’s Spotlight team has investigated the mental health system in Massachusetts, and recently illustrated the tragic story line that plays out when police are held responsible for the management of mentally ill people – a role for which they are not properly trained. Nick chats with Dr. Gerald Sweet, a forensic and police psychologist and faculty member here at William James College, in this Special Edition Podcast, about ways we can improve and avoid these tragic scenarios.

Nick sits down with John D’Auria, President of Teachers 21, to discuss the importance of social-emotional learning in schools, and how teachers, administrators, parents and specialists can work together to foster a supportive learning environment for children. Teachers 21 is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating supportive schools where students are able to learn, grow and achieve.

Nick chats with Dr. Richard Amodio, Director of Psychology Training at Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial VA Hospital to discuss post-traumatic growth as it pertains to veterans, and the need for mental health clinicians to promote growth and resilience in their clinical practices.

Nicks chats with Dr. Mari Carmen Bennasar, Director of the Lucero Latino Mental Health Program & Dr. Jill Bloom, the Co-Director of the Center for Multicultural & Global Mental Health to discuss the disparities that exist among ethnic minority groups and other marginalized populations in terms of mental health treatment, both in the U.S. and across the globe.

Nick sits down with Dr. Dan Jacobs, William James College faculty member in the school psychology & organizational and leadership psychology programs to discuss prevention and treatment of substance abuse in children and adolescents and the opportunities we can take in schools and in the community to address this crisis from a prevention standpoint.

Nick chats with Robert Kinscherff, William James College faculty member and Associate Vice President of Community Engagement discussing the role psychologists and mental health treatment can play in preventing and reducing violence, as well as the often unwarranted connections made between violence and mental illness.

Nick chats with Dr. Nadja Reilly, the Associate Director of the Freedman Center for Child and Family Development here at William James College and author of the book "Anxiety and Depression in the Classroom: A Teacher's Guide to Fostering Self-Regulation in Young Students" to discuss the meaning of school climate, which refers to the non-academic factors that contribute to student success. This conversation is especially relevant for teachers as they strive to cultivate classroom environments that support a variety of students and learning styles. To find out more information about the Freedman Center at William James College visit: http://bit.ly/1NxvaoG You can also purchase Dr. Reilly's book, "Anxiety and Depression in the Classroom: A Teacher's Guide to Fostering Self-Regulation in Young Students" on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Zcp5pb

Nick sits down with Dr. Kathryn Stanley, Chair of our Organizational and Leadership Psychology Department to discuss how leaders can emerge, and in light of the recent presidential debates, how leaders distinguish themselves from their peers and stand out among competitors in the inaugural edition of Conversations with William James College.