Raising Joy

Often when a person attempts suicide, we think there must have been signs ahead of the event. But this is not always the case, especially when the attempt is made by a child. This is the message Brandy and Nick Lumbert want every parent to understand.    In 2018, their 12-year-old daughter tried to kill herself in their home. Despite going without oxygen for an extended period, she survived but do...

What are some of the most common concerns parents have when a child needs inpatient psychiatric care? Inspired by the Disney movie ‘Inside Out,’ Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Rachel Talbot, M.D., wanted to find out. On this episode of Raising Joy, Dr. Talbot explains how her research identified nine of the most common stigmas parents have about mental health care, including medication, confide...

Physicians are not always the best at taking care of their own mental health care needs. Matthew Carroll, M.D., Associate Chief Quality Officer at Cook Children’s, says that needs to change.   After losing a colleague to suicide, Dr. Carroll recently penned an article about his own journey with mental health. On this episode of Raising Joy, we talk to Dr. Carroll about the stigma of mental health...

Seven in 10 young people say they would tell a friend if they are having thoughts of suicide. Research also shows that peers have a greater impact as protective factors during adolescence than parents do. This is why the Hope Squad program focuses on training students to help their peers in schools across the U.S. On this episode of the Raising Joy, we’re talking to Guidance and Counseling Coordin...

As parents, we sometimes find ourselves unsure of how to respond to something our child has said. If a child or teen says they don’t want to be alive anymore, what should you do? This is the question we asked Kia Carter, M.D., medical director of Inpatient Psychiatry at Cook Children’s Medical Center. Dr. Carter oversees a 15-bed psychiatry unit at the Rees Jones Behavioral Health Center at Cook C...

On this episode of Raising Joy, we’re talking to one of the leading experts on eating disorders in the country. Stephanie Setliff, M.D., is a psychiatrist and the regional medical director of the Eating Recovery Center Dallas. She has more than 20 years of experience treating eating disorders in children and teens. Dr. Setliff walks us through the different kind of eating disorders, who is at risk...

No matter who you are, chances are you’ve struggled with body image at some point in life. For children, thoughts of inadequacy can begin early, especially if they have a parent or caregiver who speaks negatively about themselves. On this episode of Raising Joy, Cook Children’s psychiatrist Akemi Watkins, M.D., joins us to talk about fostering a healthy mindset about body image, for both children...

Did you know Fort Worth ISD has a Prevention and Crisis Reponse team dedicated to helping teachers, administrators and students understand how trauma impacts the classroom? Michael Garcia, LPC, and Remington Pohlmeyer, LMSW, join us to talk about their small but mighty team of trauma specialists. According to FWISD, the goal of the trauma specialist is to work in partnership with administrators an...

Buffalo. Uvalde. Tulsa. Horrific news coverage of mass shootings seems to be endless and it is impacting the mental health of children and parents. Especially parents. So how can we help our children and help ourselves get through these incredibly difficult times? We ask experts Kia Carter, M.D., and Cameron Brown, D.Min., M.Div., BSSW to guide us. Dr. Carter is the medical director of inpatient P...

Anu Partap, M.D., M.H.P. is the physician director of Health Equity at Cook Children’s. Dr. Partap has been a pediatrician for more than 20 years and has extensive experience in the realms of public health, mental health, family violence, child abuse, foster care and adverse childhood experiences. She recently spearheaded an effort to bring the REACH Institute to Cook Children’s to help empower pe...

Brad Hunstable, CEO of electric motor company Linear Labs in Fort Worth and an Army veteran, understands firsthand the complexities that grieving families face after losing a child to suicide. Nothing prepared him for April 17, 2020, the day a figurative “nuclear bomb” went off in his world, altering it forever. Hunstable had just finished a call when his daughter, then 8, ran to him, telling him...

Dana Minor M.S., LPC‑S, CSC, has more than 25 years of experience helping children through grief. She is the program director of The WARM Place, a non-profit that provides free grief support services to children and teens in Fort Worth, Texas. On this episode, we talk to Dana about helping children understand death and debunk some of the myths about grief. You can learn more about The WARM Place a...

Lisa Elliott, Ph. D., is a licensed neuropsychologist and manager of Cook Children’s Behavioral Health Clinic in Denton. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Elliott about bullying and one proven technique kids and teens can use to stop the harassment. We also tackle social media, video game addiction and what changes Dr. Elliott has noticed most in children over the past two years of the COVID-19 pand...

Tom and Ellen Harris are the founders and co-chairs of the Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation (JEHF) named in honor of their daughter, Jo. Jo was valedictorian of her high school class, a National Merit Scholarship winner, a Stamps scholar at the University of Michigan, an athlete, musician, and most importantly a warm, friendly, compassionate young woman. The Harris family lost Jo to suicide on M...

Ashley Igo was just 8 years old when her world changed forever. She was riding in an Amtrak train car when a semi-truck tried to speed through the crossing. She lost her mother, two friends, a niece and her right foot in the traumatic accident. For years, Ashley suffered from severe anxiety later diagnosed with PTSD. Today, she is a licensed counselor and registered play therapist, and is passiona...

According to the 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment parent survey conducted by Cook Children’s Center for Children’s Health, the mental health of children is top-of-mind for parents, particularly during the pandemic. Half of all children ages 6 to 17 living in Cook Children’s eight-county service area have a parent who is concerned that the pandemic will have a negative impact on both their ch...

Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for people 18-45 years old in the United States, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Parents like Ed Ternan & Stephanie Hellstern know this fact too well and are doing everything in their power to spread the news. Though they live thousands of miles apart, Ed and Stephanie have connected as parents who hav...

Whether it’s Tylenol or Fentanyl, Artee Gandhi, M.D. has seen first-hand the damage drug overdoses can wreak on young people. Dr. Gandhi is the medical director of Pain Management at Cook Children’s and is a passionate advocate for about preventing drug addiction, ingestion, misuse, overdose and death. She oversees the Safe and Sound program at Cook Children’s, which promotes pain management techn...

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) affect all of us, whether we realize it or not. ACEs are linked to health problems in adulthood such as heart disease, cancer, asthma, depression and diabetes. But how can that be? Dawn Hood-Patterson, Ph. D., is the program manager of Community Health and Adverse Childhood Experiences at the Center for Children’s Health, led by Cook Children’s. Dr. Hood-Patter...

Pediatrician Kathleen Powderly, M.D., noticed something alarming happening in her office in late 2020. It seemed the number of patients showing signs of depression and anxiety had jumped dramatically and she knew she needed to act. Dr. Powderly is credited with drawing attention to the mental health crisis unfolding in North Texas and sparking the idea for the Joy Campaign at Cook Children’s. We t...

Children and teens across the U.S. have struggled with stress, depression and anxiety throughout the pandemic. On this introductory episode of Raising Joy, hosts Wini King and Kristen Pyrc, M.D., discuss the alarming spike in youth suicide attempts, the different levels of mental health care available to kids, and what to do if you’re worried about your child. Raising Joy is part of Cook Children’...