How the recent election has created anxiety for our children and what you can do about it with Steven Schlozman, M.D.
Shann had the honor of speaking with Steve Schlozman, MD about how the recent election has created anxiety for kids, teens, and parents and how families can step up and address this situation with love.
Steve is the associate director of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital. The Clay Center is devoted to promoting the emotional well-being of young people by providing innovative education about mental health.
Dr. Schlozman is also an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and practices child and adult psychiatry at MGH, where he is the primary consultant to the pediatric transplant service. He received B.A.s in English and biology from Stanford University, and his M.D. from the Dartmouth-Brown Program in Medicine.
Dr. Schlozman’s expertise has been featured in The New York Times, NBC News, Boston Magazine, ABC News, amongst many other media outlets.
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Our Discussion:
- How has the anxiety from adults over the election ans the first 90 days trickled down to children?
- What are some ways children might show their anxiety about the election or see in their parents, and how can parents recognize it?
- Depending on ages, is it difficult for children to understand some of the detailed topics about immigration, healthcare, or building a wall?
- Do you see patients or have you heard stories of families that might be facing deportation and what advice would you give to parents that might be facing the harsh reality of having to leave the country. How do you help them handle that instability and anxiety?
- The election process certainly had its fair share of unusual moments and things we've never seen before, including name calling, bold-faced lying, and vulgarity in some cases. How do you think that impacted children and do you still think it is impacting them in the way they might think it is ok to behave or act?
- What advice do you have for parents moving forward with the new president and how to handle the variety of impending issues that exist, including talk of war, building walls, and being disrespectful to women and minorities?
If you enjoyed our conversation, you can stay in contact with with Dr. Schlozman by reading his blog posts and listening to his podcast at The Clay Center website mghclaycenter.org