Published in Moms & Dads Today magazine, March/April 2016
Building Emotionally Healthy Adolescents
Mental Health Screenings at St. Luke's Pediatric Associates and the
Power of Resilience
Just the words “junior high” are enough to make some adults wince.
Memories of their adolescent years are a mixed bag. On one hand, there
are all the joys that come with new friends, new responsibilities and
new privileges. On the other hand, there are sometimes painful reminders
about the “awkward years,” parental clashes and feelings of
isolation—and even depression.
In recent years, more and more attention is being paid to adolescent mental
health. According to Dr. Gretchen Karstens, a board-certified pediatrician
at St. Luke’s Pediatric Associates, the result has been an increasing
understanding of the need to treat adolescents’ mental and emotional
health, as well as their physical well-being.
“There is a stigma in our society around mental health issues, and
wanting or needing treatment to help deal with mental illness. This is
even more pronounced in youth,” said Dr. Karstens. “If you
broke your arm and didn’t do anything, people would give you a hard
time and tell you to get help. If you are depressed and don’t do
anything, you are celebrated in our society as having a ‘stiff upper
lip.’”
The importance of screenings
In order to address potential mental health issues in adolescents, St.
Luke’s Pediatric Associates has implemented a series of screenings
to help parents and their children better understand what’s happening
in the space between kids’ ears. Dr. Heather Winesett, another board-certified
St. Luke’s pediatrician, explained the cadence of the screenings.
“At St. Luke’s, mental health screenings start when a child
is two weeks old, then again at two and six months. This involves a check-in
with mom and dad to see how they are doing, and what they are feeling
as new parents. We do this because parents’ mental health has a
huge impact on their children’s health.”
These screenings eventually sync up with children’s annual exams.
When a child reaches his or her teenage years, the screenings begin to
shift in focus. Said Dr. Winesett, “During the teen years, we start
to meet with parents and kids separately. This gives the teen more autonomy,
which allows us to talk more candidly about how they are doing, emotionally
and mentally. And we take our time—whereas the national average
time a pediatrician spends with a patient is around six minutes, here,
it’s about 20.”
The power of resilience
According to Dr. Karstens, one of the key attributes that they are looking
for in adolescents is
resilience. “The American Psychological Association defines ‘resilience’
as the ability to adapt well to adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats—or
even significant sources of stress. Essentially, it is the ability to
cope with all the things that are coming at you in daily life.”
To help build resiliency in adolescents, Dr. Karstens emphasized the need
to take a holistic look at all aspects of their lives. “In medicine,
we have come to recognize the value of context,” she said. “For
example, if all I do is treat your high blood pressure, but don’t
address diet and exercise or understand your social environment, we probably
aren’t addressing the underlying problems that led to the high blood
pressure. Same thing with mental health. Home life plays a huge role in
building resilience in kids.”
Similarly, said Karstens, building resilience and treating mental health
issues aren’t just the job of the physician. “It takes a team
approach. In addition to the physician, our care team consists of clinical
assistants, care coordinators and community partners—schools, churches
and groups that form networks.”
Equipping kids with the tools they need
For Dr. Winesett, making a difference in the physical and mental health
of her young patients is extremely gratifying. “As children move
into adolescence, they want to take control over their lives, and we now
have more tools to help them do that. By engaging with them about what
they are thinking, what they are feeling and what they are dealing with,
we can help them learn to be resilient and overcome and deal with the
issues they face everyday.”
Four ways to build resilience in kids
Dr. Gretchen Karstens, a board-certified pediatrician at St. Luke’s
Pediatric Associates, cites the
power of community as one of most influential forces in building resiliency in kids. Community-building
activities at the family, social and societal levels can greatly impact
your child’s resiliency.
1. Have a meal together
Eating together is a powerful bonding experience. It’s a time when
people naturally let their guard down and share at a really emotionally
vulnerable level.
2. Have fun together
Routine is important, but disrupting routines to have spontaneous fun with
one another is a great way to strengthen the relationships that help build
resiliency.
3. Look outside the home for things in the community you can do together
Taking the focus off of home life and putting it on community activities—like
a service project—can give adolescents the confidence to go outside
their comfort zones.
4. Time is the best gift that you can give your kids
In the end, just being there, being fully engaged, giving your child your
undivided attention does wonders in instilling them with a sense of well-being
and confidence.
BELOW: Dr. Gretchen Karstens, St. Luke's Pediatric Associates
BELOW: Dr. Heather Winesett, St. Luke's Pediatric Associates