How to talk to your kids about COVID-19

How can parents and guardians best help kids understand and process the COVID-19 pandemic? During stressful times, children – no matter what their age – want to know three basic things: Am I...

Mind matters: building good mental health in children and teens

When adults deal with stress, fear, addiction or trauma, it can be tempting to romanticize childhood as fun-filled and carefree. But in reality, kids experience the same worry and sadness that adults...

ADHD and sleep: What’s the connection?

What the headlines say ADHD is associated with a markedly increased incidence of behaviorally related sleep problems. That includes challenges like not wanting to go to bed or having behavior...

OCD to me: It takes courage

Eighteen-year-old Ryan Bernstein is a youth advocate for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), having lived with it for many years. He is the author of "OCD to Me: An Anthology of Anxieties," and he's...

Explaining the unexplainable

The news may be scary, but kids can cope through talk and play. Between natural disasters, violence and political drama, turning on the news these days can be frightening for anyone. Add the task...

A smidge of structure

For some kids, the best part about summer is the freedom. For others, the unstructured days leave them feeling restless and untethered. “In general, kids benefit from structure and...

Dealing with anxiety: How to raise confident, comfortable kids

This article was written by Katie Vaughan and originally appeared in the Portland Monthly 2017 Kids’ Health Annual magazine as part of a larger series on independence.  Would it surprise...

Body image: How to raise confident, comfortable kids

This article was written by Katie Vaughan and originally appeared in the Portland Monthly 2017 Kids’ Health Annual magazine as part of a larger series on independence.  When it comes to...

2017 in review: Doernbecher’s top stories

We rounded up 10 of the most-read blog posts from 2017. Take a look to see if there are any that you missed! 1. '13 Reasons Why' poses risk to Oregon youth The television series “13 Reasons...

Raising a reader in digital days: Comics galore!

Following up on his blog post about summer reading, Dr. Craigan Usher extols the benefits of reading comic books and makes some recommendations for families looking to dive into the world of...