Shows / The MentalSpace School Podcast
The MentalSpace School Podcast
K-12 mental health for educators, school counselors, and families. New episodes three times a day from licensed therapists at MentalSpace School — teletherapy, onsite clinicians, live classes, and HB-268 compliance support for K-12 districts nationwide.
Episodes
The MentalSpace School PodcastA common myth we want to retire: 'They'll...
A common myth we want to retire: 'They'll grow out of it.' Separation Anxiety Disorder doesn't always resolve on its own — and untreated, it often becomes…
The MentalSpace School PodcastWhen a child cries every morning before...
When a child cries every morning before school — or vomits, or 'can't breathe,' or hides — please know: this is rarely manipulation. It's School Refusal…
The MentalSpace School PodcastParents — if your teen has been 'not...
Parents — if your teen has been 'not themselves' for more than two weeks, please don't dismiss it as a phase. Adolescent Major Depression often shows up as…
The MentalSpace School PodcastQuick question for educators: when you...
Quick question for educators: when you picture an ADHD student, do you picture the kid bouncing in their chair? You might be missing half of them. Pediatric…
The MentalSpace School PodcastChildhood Generalized Anxiety Disorder is...
Childhood Generalized Anxiety Disorder is often missed because anxious kids tend to be 'the good ones' — quiet, compliant, hyper-prepared. But look closer…
The MentalSpace School PodcastFriday evening education — Adolescent...
Friday evening education — Adolescent Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a serious medical condition, not 'experimentation gone wrong.' The DSM-5 criteria are the…
The MentalSpace School PodcastMidday education — Body-Focused...
Midday education — Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) are a category of conditions that includes Trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder) and…
The MentalSpace School PodcastFriday morning education for parents,...
Friday morning education for parents, educators, and pediatricians — Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) is intentional self-inflicted injury without suicidal…
The MentalSpace School PodcastThursday evening education — Adverse...
Thursday evening education — Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) is a framework from the landmark CDC-Kaiser study. The 10 ACE categories include: physical…
The MentalSpace School PodcastMidday education — Disruptive Mood...
Midday education — Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD) was added to the DSM-5 in 2013 specifically to address the over-diagnosis of pediatric bipolar…
The MentalSpace School PodcastThursday morning education — Pediatric...
Thursday morning education — Pediatric ADHD comes in three presentations, and the Combined Type (both inattention AND hyperactivity/impulsivity) is what most…
The MentalSpace School PodcastTuesday evening explainer — Pediatric OCD...
Tuesday evening explainer — Pediatric OCD is much more than 'a tidy kid' or 'germaphobe.' Clinically, OCD involves obsessions (intrusive, unwanted thoughts…
The MentalSpace School PodcastMidday education for parents and...
Midday education for parents and educators — Eating Disorders in teens are serious and far more common than people realize. The major DSM categories: Anorexia…
The MentalSpace School PodcastTuesday morning education for parents,...
Tuesday morning education for parents, educators, and youth-serving professionals — Conduct Disorder (CD) is a more severe pattern than ODD and represents one…
The MentalSpace School PodcastMonday evening explainer — Oppositional...
Monday evening explainer — Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is a real clinical diagnosis, but it's also one of the most over-applied labels for kids who are…
The MentalSpace School PodcastMidday education — Selective Mutism (SM)...
Midday education — Selective Mutism (SM) is one of the most misunderstood childhood anxiety disorders. It's NOT shyness, defiance, or 'autism.' Clinically, SM…
The MentalSpace School PodcastMonday morning education for parents and...
Monday morning education for parents and educators — Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition with two core feature sets: (1) persistent…
The MentalSpace School PodcastThe Unstoppable Strength of School Moms
The Unstoppable Strength of School Moms Tonight, we honor the unstoppable strength of school moms. 💛 The moms who fight for their child's spot. The moms who…
The MentalSpace School PodcastThank You to Every Mom Today
Thank You to Every Mom Today Today, we want to speak directly to every mom who showed up for her kids — AGAIN. 💛 Single moms. Working moms. Grandmothers…
The MentalSpace School PodcastBehind Every Thriving Student
Behind Every Thriving Student Behind every thriving student is a mother whose strength made it possible. 💛 The lunch packed. The form signed. The worry…
The MentalSpace School PodcastSaturday evening real talk for parents —...
Saturday evening real talk for parents — Adolescent Major Depression often does NOT present as a sad, withdrawn teenager. More often, it looks like: persistent…
The MentalSpace School PodcastMidday education for parents and teachers...
Midday education for parents and teachers — Pediatric ADHD comes in three presentations, but the Inattentive Type is the one most often missed, especially in…
The MentalSpace School PodcastSaturday morning explainer for parents...
Saturday morning explainer for parents and teachers: Childhood Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) often shows up not as 'worry' but as a child who frequently…
The MentalSpace School PodcastA crisis rarely arrives without warning
A crisis rarely arrives without warning. Looking back, families and educators almost always recognize that there were weeks — sometimes months — of quiet…
The MentalSpace School PodcastQuestion for school leaders
Question for school leaders: When a student walks into the counselor's office in crisis at 1 PM on a Tuesday, how long before that student is sitting with a…
The MentalSpace School PodcastFor families on commercial plans,...
Most Georgia families don't realize this: Medicaid covers 100% of school-based mental health services. That means $0 out-of-pocket for therapy, evaluations…
The MentalSpace School PodcastReaching out for support is never
To the parent reading this at 9 PM, after a long day of work, dinner, homework, and putting kids to bed — If your child has been quieter lately, more…
The MentalSpace School PodcastThere's a myth that teachers should "just...
There's a myth that teachers should "just be tough." That asking for support is a sign of weakness in a profession built on resilience. We disagree. Research…
The MentalSpace School PodcastThree patterns worth watchin
Anxiety in students rarely looks like the textbook definition. It often shows up as stomach aches, irritability, or trouble sleeping — masking itself as…
The MentalSpace School Podcast'Have you ever been in a group chat where...
If you want to start a real conversation with your kid about what's actually happening online — tonight, no big announcement, no scheduled meeting — here's a…
The MentalSpace School PodcastGROUP-CHAT EXCLUSION (the silent kind)
Three modern forms of cyberbullying that parents most often miss — because they don't look like what we were taught to watch for: 1. GROUP-CHAT EXCLUSION (the…
The MentalSpace School PodcastIn 2026, what students are actually deal
Cyberbullying in 2026 looks nothing like cyberbullying in 2016 — and most parents' mental models are still stuck in the older version. A decade ago…
The MentalSpace School PodcastFrom a district leader we partner with —...
From a district leader we partner with — a quote that we keep coming back to: 'Partnership isn't replacing our school counselors. It's giving them clinical…
The MentalSpace School PodcastWHAT'S DRIVING THE GAP —
Where the 48% gap actually comes from — and the honest version of what partnership does and doesn't solve: WHAT'S DRIVING THE GAP — - ESSER pandemic-era…
The MentalSpace School PodcastHere's the data point most school...
Here's the data point most school administrators are quietly stressed about and most parents have never heard: Only 48% of US schools say they can effectively…
The MentalSpace School PodcastEDUCATE PARENTS ON THE LINK
Three things schools can actually do about the sleep-and-social-media crisis — none of which require a curriculum overhaul: 1. EDUCATE PARENTS ON THE LINK…
The MentalSpace School PodcastThe A student whose grades suddenly drop...
What the social-media-driven sleep crisis actually looks like from inside a classroom: - The A student whose grades suddenly drop a full letter, with no…
The MentalSpace School PodcastHere's a stat that's not getting nearly...
Here's a stat that's not getting nearly enough air time: about 50% of girls and 40% of boys say their sleep is actively harmed by social media. (CDC + Common…
The MentalSpace School PodcastIt's the other way around
If you're the parent who has been called into the principal's office one more time this month — read this slowly. You are not failing. Your child is not…
The MentalSpace School PodcastPATTERN 1 — SUNDAY-NIGHT DREAD, MONDAY...
If you're a teacher, counselor, or principal, three patterns to watch for that often get filed under 'attendance issue' but are really anxiety in disguise…
The MentalSpace School PodcastThere's a phrase we want to retire from...
There's a phrase we want to retire from how schools and families talk about students: 'school refusal.' Not because the behavior isn't real — it absolutely is…
The MentalSpace School PodcastSKIP THE FORMAT —
If you're trying to have a real conversation with your son about how he's actually doing, here's what's working for parents in our partner communities: SKIP…
The MentalSpace School PodcastSHAME — 'I should be able to handle this....
What gets in the way of a son telling his parents he's struggling? It's almost never one big thing. It's a stack of small ones: SHAME — 'I should be able to…
The MentalSpace School PodcastIf you're parenting a son right now,...
If you're parenting a son right now, please sit with this one for a minute. According to WHO data released this year, three out of four young men who are…
The MentalSpace School PodcastIf your kid asks for a mental health day...
If your kid asks for a mental health day this week, here's a script a partner counselor shared with us — calm, honest, and impossible to memorize wrong: 'I…
The MentalSpace School PodcastThey HELP when —
Here's a framework that's been helping parents and counselors think about mental health days more clearly: They HELP when — - A student is genuinely…
The MentalSpace School PodcastThis week, we're wal
Twelve states (and counting) have officially made mental health days an excused absence. Oregon and Utah were among the first. Illinois, Maine, Virginia…
The MentalSpace School PodcastLet's quietly retire one of the most...
Let's quietly retire one of the most damaging myths in childhood mental health: 'They're too young to need therapy.' Anxiety, depression, and trauma don't…
The MentalSpace School PodcastIt's untreated menta
There's a stat that's been quietly reshaping how schools think about attendance: 28% of students are now chronically absent — nearly double pre-pandemic rates…
The MentalSpace School PodcastWe talk a lot about crisis response....
We talk a lot about crisis response. Let's talk about crisis prevention. The strongest safety net is the one a student never falls into. That means catching…
The MentalSpace School PodcastThe difference isn't magic — it's...
A question worth sitting with: when a student in your school asks for help, how long do they wait to receive it? In most schools we partner with, the honest…
The MentalSpace School PodcastOne of the most common questions we hear...
One of the most common questions we hear from parents: 'Can we afford therapy?' Here's the simple answer for Georgia families: → Medicaid? $0 out of pocket. →…
The MentalSpace School PodcastTo the parent reading this at the end of...
To the parent reading this at the end of a long day: You're not failing. You're carrying more than anyone can see. When a student struggles, families struggle…
The MentalSpace School PodcastLet's bust a quiet myth: 'Burnout is just...
Let's bust a quiet myth: 'Burnout is just part of being a teacher.' It isn't. Burnout is what happens when good educators are asked to do everything for…
The MentalSpace School PodcastThree quiet signs a student may be...
Three quiet signs a student may be struggling — and what to watch for. Children rarely walk into a counselor's office and announce, 'I'm anxious.' More often…
The MentalSpace School PodcastA final reminder closing out our 7-day...
A final reminder closing out our 7-day diagnosis series: if any of the 7 topics this week resonated for your kid or family, please don't wait. All 7 free…
The MentalSpace School PodcastQuick myth-busting: eating disorders...
Quick myth-busting: eating disorders happen at every body size, to every gender, every race, every economic background. 1 in 3 people with an ED is male…
The MentalSpace School PodcastParents, please read this one carefully:...
Parents, please read this one carefully: teen eating disorder hospitalizations DOUBLED post-pandemic. EDs have the highest mortality of any mental illness…
The MentalSpace School PodcastSaturday evening reminder for families...
Saturday evening reminder for families whose kids are stuck in OCD cycles: ERP therapy is genuinely life-changing for kids. The ritual doesn't have to win…
The MentalSpace School PodcastA critical fact for parents of kids with...
A critical fact for parents of kids with OCD: giving reassurance feels loving, but it fuels the OCD cycle. Kids need ERP (exposure + response prevention) — a…