CONVERSATIONS WITH SYDNEY

This inaugural episode of Season 2 explores the social and psychological costs of being outed in middle school by school officials for being queer.

CWS speaks with two transgender people,Benjamin and Juliette, about their lives and how they have navigated the complex social, psychological, and familial consequences of living transgender lives.

CWS explores the connections between music, mania, and the creative process with Sparni, a talented young musician who lives with Bipolar Disorder.

CWS explores resilience in the face of racial terror by speaking with Dr. Terry Roberts, a member of the Little Rock Nine, who at fifteen years old volunteered to help desegregate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957.

In this Season 2 conclusion, CWS talks with three young college students about their use of personal pronouns, and how these terms relate to their sense of their own gender and place in the world.

Self-Injury is the deliberate destruction of body tissue – often through cutting or burning. Paradoxically, says Dr. Janis Whitlock , director of the Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery, this behavior typically emerges from a desire to feel better, not to end one’s life. This impulse is critical, explains Dr. Whitlock, and it can be built upon to find healthier coping mechanisms....

Teen suicide is real and impacting young people in all of our communities. Ten percent of all high school students attempted suicide in 2021, according to the CDC’s most recent report, with the rate rising to twenty percent of LGBTQ+ students. This initial episode asks can talking about suicide with your children be dangerous? Tracy Klingener , Director of Suicide Prevention at the Mental Health A...

Teens are already talking about suicide – they just might not be talking to you. One out of every five high school students in the United States seriously considered suicide in 2021, according to the CDC, and more than half of our country’s female students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. In this episode we speak with Dr. Laura Erickson-Schroth , Chief Medical Officer at...

Fifty years ago, most people believed that you could not prevent suicide, explains Dr. Madelyn Gould , Professor of Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Columbia University, but today, partly because of her ground-breaking research, we know that suicide IS preventable. And one of the most effective crisis responses is the new national 988 Hotline . The vast majority of people who call asking for help say t...

CONVERSATIONS WITH SYDNEY is a solutions-oriented podcast series exploring effective ways for parents, teens, schools, and communities to respond to the ongoing crises of teen mental health and suicide.

CONVERSATIONS WITH SYDNEY is a solutions-oriented podcast series exploring effective ways for parents, teens, schools, and communities to respond to the ongoing crises of teen mental health and suicide.