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D.C.’s affordability problem arrived and grew—rapidly. For low-to-middle income households, average monthly rent in the District has gone up by between about $50 to nearly $400, adjusted for inflation, between 2002 and 2013. The number of apartments that cost less than $800 per month, adjusted for inflation, was nearly cut in half in that same time period . Incomes, meanwhile, have remained largely the same. Now, D.C.’s government is trying to ramp up efforts that would ease some of the...

Last week, Gallup research reported that living in “white, segregated enclaves” increased one’s chances of supporting Donald Trump. Jonathan Rothwell noted that “Limited interactions with racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, and college graduates may contribute to prejudicial stereotypes.” While that’s hardly a new insight, the rise in overt racism that Trump has apparently unleashed underlines its importance. When people of various races and backgrounds share the same schools, parks,...

Back in March, I stumbled upon an interesting study one morning on CBS This Morning, addressing the question of “What makes a good life?” I had been thinking about my own clinical work and how many of my clients over the years have talked to me about their relationships. I knew I had to write a post about it and finally I got around to it. Mental health issues are often related to dissatisfaction, dysfunction or difficulties with relationships. In fact, one of the most important factors in...

Note: Crystal Amundson LCPC, RPT-S runs a private practice in Helena, Montana, where she works as a child play therapist. Crystal specializes in Play Therapy, working with children ages 2-12, alongside their caregivers. She is a previous employee and current board member at Intermountain. Her passion and expertise is in the field of early childhood mental health. Crystal prepared this case study with accompanying prompts for action by faith-based groups and community groups that hope to make...

In the past several years, more than 100,000 children from Central America have fled the violence and poverty of their home countries to travel north—often all alone—for the chance at a better life in the United States. Most reporters’ accounts of their journeys have detailed their vexing treks and the immediate aftermath of their arrivals; the media has chronicled the possibility—now largely dead—of immigration reform and the ramifications of the surge in unaccompanied minors on U.S.

Extreme stress and young brains are a bad combination, something that sets in motion feelings and behaviors that can haunt us long into adulthood. And just in time for the school year, a new study may help explain why. The Duke University study used neuroimaging to look at the biological effect of childhood stress on the adult brain. It's important research, because it parallels existing knowledge about the relationship of stress to unhealthy behavior. For families, the timing is important...

Two Capital Region school districts were awarded a $60,000 federal grant to team up in the coming school years and improve academic outcomes for their homeless students. The Cohoes City School District and Lansingburgh Central School District — while in separate counties and on opposite sides of the Hudson River — often serve the same homeless population, district officials said. Because Cohoes strictly enforces state-set occupancy limits that prohibit too many people from living in the same...

It's time to start getting children and teens into their school-year sleep routine, an expert says. School-aged children need nine to 12 hours of sleep a night, according to sleep specialist Dr. Susan Manganaro. And teens need eight to 10 hours. "It may take a few weeks for your child to get adjusted to an earlier bedtime," said Manganaro, an assistant professor of pediatric neurology at Stony Brook University Children's Hospital in Stony Brook, N.Y. Ideally, two to three weeks before school...

Feeling overwhelmed? These tips are a total game-changer. Are you stressed? I’m not going to tell you to “relax.” Instead, I’ll actually show you how to regulate it. For many people, stress is a daily occurrence. When stress overruns your life, you’re left feeling “stressed out” and depleted. You can’t get enough rest, life “comes at you” super-charged, and your ability to bounce back or be resilient to the everyday challenges of living becomes harder. [For more of this story, written by...

Where did the summer go? We can't believe it's time to go back to school. Whether you're a student looking for some study tips or a parent looking for some reassurance, our Back to School Guide will get you back on track to have a successful school year. We know that getting back into the swing of the daily school schedule takes some time, so you should give yourself a break if you find the first couple of weeks a little difficult to break free from that vacation mindset. That's natural! But...

It's increasingly clear that bad experiences during childhood are associated with long-lasting health effects, including higher rates of heart disease, diabetes and depression. And childhood abuse in particular has been associated with psychiatric problems and chronic diseases years down the line. But whether that translates to a higher risk of early death for abuse survivors isn't well studied. According to research published Wednesday, there is an association between reports of childhood...

The saying goes that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. For some people, this is nothing more than an aphorism, but for millions of children who receive free or reduced-priced lunches at school, during the summer it’s a harsh reality. Nearly 21.5 million kids in the U.S. are eligible for free or reduced-priced meals, yet according to a 2016 report from the Food Research Action Center, only 1 in 6 of them receives that benefit over summer break. “The summer is a really tough time for...