The research cited in this article provides a comprehensive summary of the risk factors for LGBTQ youth, which represents a strength of this body of work. It is important for mental health professionals to be aware of the risk factors for this diverse population in order to better understand the experiences of LGBTQ youth and how these experiences…

Adolescent drug abuse is a national concern with 22% to 35% of high school age individuals having used tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana (Kann et al., 2014). Additionally, approximately 5% of adolescents develop a substance use disorder each year (SAMHSA, 2014). However, only one in ten adolescents of the 1.3 million youth who need treatment will…

The first article in this two-part series (Sulkowski & Picciolini, 2018) described how youth become radicalized or join violent extremist groups. In lieu of becoming ideologically brainwashed or proselytized, most youth join radicalized or extremist groups to help establish a sense of identity, community, and purpose, which are basic human…

John is a 13-year-old male, eighth grader. He receives special education services as a student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). According to his most recent evaluation, John's full-scale IQ falls within the "high average" range, and he has earned As and Bs in honors classes this year with resource support and classroom…

There is much attention placed on closing the achievement gap among socioeconomically disadvantaged students. However, what some may fail to take into account is the impact of poor quality, low-nutrition foods and limited access to physical activity on children's academic outcomes. Disadvantaged youth are at risk for poor nutrition and limited…

Offering and receiving help are fundamental to human survival. The fact that children engage in beneficial social exchanges before they can even fully appreciate them underscores the importance of cooperation and altruism for human society. Gratitude is a higher-level moral emotion that enables people to notice, understand, and capitalize on…

There are an estimated three million Arab Americans in the United States, with 25% of the population under the age of 18. Given this significant population, it is likely that some school psychologists come across children from Arab backgrounds during their career. Many school psychologists, however, may not be aware of the unique cultural…

Anniversaries are appropriate times for reflecting on the past and planning for the future, and in this 100th anniversary year of Sigmund Freud's famous group meeting--a meeting among a large group of prominent mental health professionals that provides a useful marker and arguable "starting point" for contemporary youth suicide prevention efforts,…

Psychologists have been studying resilience since the 1970s to understand what enables individual to meet developmental milestones despite serious risk factors. Although early research used terms like "invincible" and "invulnerable" to describe youth who showed resilience, the current understanding is that resilience is enabled through ordinary…

The field of positive psychology has been interested in gratitude and documenting its benefits on well-being. Research has shown that people who experience gratitude have a variety of positive outcomes including more positive emotions such as joy, love, and happiness; fewer negative emotions such as bitterness, envy, and resentment; increased…

Youth attitudes, perspectives, and behaviors regarding violence and loss are shaped by a variety of community, familial, and cultural influences. Their life stories are testimonials to the impact of cumulative grief experiences, each of which are powerful reminders of the fragility of life in their world. Erroneously, some believe that youth…

Across America, the numbers of homeless children and families are growing as a result of many factors including the recent economic crisis, home foreclosures, and natural disasters. Because of an increase in the number of homeless children throughout the United States, this population has unmet needs that can be targeted in school settings under…