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Devin is a Residential Counselor in our Community Based Acute Treatment (CBAT) program, providing direct support to children experiencing behavioral and emotional difficulties. “I love to be active and do group games with the kids to introduce the concepts of sportsmanship and taking turns,” says Devin. “You can learn a lot from a simple game of kickball.”

Ryan is a Mental Health Specialist on Unit 1, our Child and Adolescent Inpatient Mental Health program, providing support and services to children, adolescents and teens experiencing mental health crises. “When you leave the Unit, you’re not cured,” said Ryan who hopes that resilience is one of the main takeaways for patients as they leave. “[Franciscan Children’s is] teaching you coping skills for life.”

The popular Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why, recently created a flurry of media and social buzz and brought the topic of teen suicide to the forefront of conversation. In our latest blog post, Dr. Ralph Buonopane, PhD, Program Director of the McLean-Franciscan Child and Adolescent Inpatient Mental Health program (Unit 1), talks about suicide, the warning signs, and what parents need to know.

Maria is a Mental Health Specialist on Unit 1, our Child and Adolescent Inpatient Mental Health program, providing support and services to children, adolescents and teens experiencing mental health crises. “Some people just need to be shown how to cope with mental illness” Maria says. “[The staff at Franciscan Children’s is] here to support and help during a crisis.”

Childhood anxiety is a hot topic for many parents and families. We recently asked Dr. Kiera Boyle, Supervising Psychologist at Franciscan Children’s, to answer some popular questions about how children experience and express anxiety and how parents can help manage it.

Franciscan Children’s recently partnered with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to host a free 6 week course called NAMI Basics, a course designed to introduce caregivers to the basics of care techniques and coping strategies. The NAMI Basics classes served as a valuable medium for fostering helpful conversations between Parent Leaders and participants who care for children from a variety of different age groups and backgrounds.

Has Pokémon Go captured your family’s hearts (and screens) yet? If it hasn’t, you’ve likely heard all about the new augmented-reality gaming app that has quickly become a big part of popular culture. So, what does this virtual phenomenon mean for parents? We’ve compiled a few tips to help you navigate this new Pokémon world.

The Parent Professional Advocacy League (PPAL) has given a voice to families and advocated for improved access to mental health services for children, youth and their families since 1991. Recently, Franciscan Children’s had the opportunity to host a PPAL training session focused on Family Engagement, designed to further the conversation and advocacy efforts to improve the quality of care available.

Thursday nights at Franciscan are a time of learning and healing for families of children admitted to the Child and Adolescent Inpatient Mental Health Program, thanks to a new partnership between UMass Medical School and Franciscan Hospital for Children.

All children (and adults) experience some level of anxiety when faced with new situations, and the start of a new school year can be a trigger for that stress. In this blog post, we’re talking tips for making the transition from summer to school easier.